


Into the Sun

by undeclaredmilk



Series: The Mouse in the Ministry [3]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Captivity, F/M, Gross Birth Stuff, Imprisonment, Isolation, Pregnancy, Unhealthy Relationships, mostly angst and feelings, not as smutty as you'd expect, not the same original character, that would be weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeclaredmilk/pseuds/undeclaredmilk
Summary: She reached out to touch the flower, the giant blossom dwarfing her hand."There's no flowers in the Pit, right?"Aether chuckled under his breath. "'Course not. There's no sun, so no sunlight to make them grow.""Do you like it? The sun?"He thought for a moment, the light heating the mask on his face."Yeah...I do."
Relationships: Aether Ghoul | Omega Ghoul/Original Female Character(s), Cardinal Copia/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Mouse in the Ministry [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1494155
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

The bus rocked and shook as it moved down the old highway, and Copia could feel every bump through the mattress in his bunk. Every jostle and shimmy reminded him that touring was a young man's game, that anyone over 35 should stick to short trips or private jets. Yet here he was, 50 years old, living out his childhood fantasies on stage almost every night, and icing his hips while gobbling Ibuprofen afterwards, while trying not to get thrown out of a bunk.

It was all worth it, though. The popularity of the project was higher than it had ever been, and they had earned themselves an extended break, with plenty of time to write and record new songs. At least, that was the Ministry's plan. Copia was more preoccupied with the anxiety of impending fatherhood.

Alice's due date was approaching fast, and while she had the best possible care available, he knew he would feel more confident if he was home with her. He would FaceTime with her every chance he had, but most nights he either couldn't talk (to preserve his voice) or he would be so exhausted, he would fall asleep to her breathy, child-like voice recounting the mundane events of her day. Once, she held her phone out so he could watch the baby roll and press against the sides of her distended belly, and he shrieked in terror, flinging the phone and hitting one of the band ghouls in the head with it.

The other thing that caused him stress: wrangling a group of inhuman ghouls through psychic communication. At first, he couldn't help but broadcast thoughts to all of them. The worst was when Alice was particularly amorous just before practice, and insisted he could afford to be a few minutes late. When he eventually made it to the practice room, his ghouls just stared at him. 

He looked back with annoyance. "What?"

The ghoulettes turned and giggled to each other, while the more private ghouls found themselves suddenly busy with staring at the ceiling or fussing with their shoes. The only ones that didn't react were Ember and Swiss. They just kept staring at him.

"I never got her to make noises like that," the tiny fire ghoul commented.

"Me, neither," said the un-aspected ghoul. "Then again, she wasn't really making much noise at all back then."

"True, true. But it seemed like she was a lot wetter than I ever-"

" **THAT'S ENOUGH**!" The ghouls immediately snapped to attention. From that point on, Copia worked to keep his mind completely closed off, except when absolutely necessary.

He gently rolled out of his bunk and braced his hands on the edges of the upper bunks, carefully making his way up the aisle. Most of the ghouls were sleeping, since it was still daylight outside. He stopped to draw Ember's curtain closed, as he was fast asleep with his bare ass in the air. Chuckling to himself, he continued forward to the front of the bus. The driver, a dedicated Brother of Sin, was somehow still full of energy, even after driving for almost 10 hours straight.

He turned his head minutely to acknowledge Copia's presence. "Hey, boss. Signs say there's a gas station up ahead, about 15 miles. We're good on gas, but I figure everybody could use a few minutes to stretch, get some snacks?"

Copia patted him on the shoulder. "Sounds like a plan. I'll have Aether wake them when we're close."

* * *

The large ghoul with purple eyes shifted uncomfortably in his bunk, trying to find a better position for writing. Journaling helped him to organize his thoughts and reflect upon his time on this plane, but he learned early on that it had to be done in solitude. Many of the ghouls didn't understand the idea of personal space or privacy, and some, like a certain fire ghoul, had a complete disdain for it. He discovered the only way he could keep Ember's claws and teeth off his books was to hide them in the ceiling of his room, and he received special permission to have two deadbolts installed on his door, which eventually became scratched and gouged from repeated attempts to break in. 

He shook his head and smiled to himself thinking about seeing the tiny ghoul clinging to his door, fangs scraping against the outer lock. 

"Why are you so determined to read my journals? I'm always open with my thoughts and feelings."

"It's not the same, bro! You don't tell us _everything_..."

As the Ministry's lone quintessence ghoul, it was his responsibility to maintain harmony between the various elemental clans of summoned ghouls, which basically made him a glorified babysitter. He was happy with his purpose, and he loved his fellow ghouls, but he couldn't be Super Best Friend Guy or Den Mother all the time. Personal quiet time was paramount to his role, and the others just needed to deal with him locking himself in his room for a little while to recharge. There was no way to lock himself away while on tour- sharing hotel rooms and the bus with 8 other people-so for the few hours while they were all passed out, he would desperately scribble in a book, then give it to the driver to keep up front. Nobody was stupid enough to fight the driver while the bus was moving.

Satisfied with his current entry, he closed the book and carefully extricated himself from the almost too-small bunk. As he made his way up to the front, he noticed Copia speaking with the driver.

"Everything green, boss?"

"Ah, Aether. Yes, everything is good. We're going to be stopping in a few miles to stretch our legs and such. Would you mind herding the goats?"

Aether smiled. He and Copia often commiserated on how getting the ghouls to behave and perform their duties was like caring for livestock at times. When it was first announced that Copia would be leading the project, and that Papa Emeritus III was stepping down, he was beside himself with anxiety. He'd been summoned specifically to serve Papa III, and was not looking forward to being sent back to the Pit so soon. By some miracle, the Ministry allowed him and Ember to stay, provided he could keep the little gremlin and their bandmates in line. His experience with Papa III's ghouls made him a good sounding board for Copia, who felt comfortable enough sharing his concerns with the quintessence ghoul, and vice versa. It was an unlikely friendship, but one they both valued.

"Not a problem, boss. I'll make sure they don't buy too much sugary junk. Last thing we need is Ember climbing the walls or Mountain turning the place into his personal drum kit."

"Good, good. And uh, make sure everybody has a chance to...you know...drop the kids off at the pool, eh? HA!"

Aether internally cringed at Copia's juvenile humor. It worked well to entertain the crowds, but in private, it made him seem even more awkward. He was one of the few that knew the salacious details of Copia's appointment as project leader, as well as the true identity of his mate, and the entire situation left him unsettled. They were meant to be serving the Dark Lord's purpose on the earthly plane, not engaging in human familial drama and politics. He kept his feelings to himself, though. It was a great honor to be summoned, and he didn't want to appear ungrateful or unworthy. He decided to dedicate himself to being invaluable, whether by supporting the project leader or manhandling a group of impulsive goblins into behaving somewhat civilized.

He turned and walked back towards the bunks, flipping on the overhead light. 

"EVERYBODY UP!" His voice bounced around the cramped space, making the ghouls jump. He began yanking open the privacy curtains on the bunks.

"Glamours, on! Clothing, on!" He pointedly yelled the last part into Ember's bunk, as he would sleepily stroll off the bus shirtless if you didn't remind him to get dressed. The glamours, however, was a completely different story. Without that particular magical enchantment, the ghouls would be displaying their actual appearance; ashy grey-to-black skin, long claws and fangs, pointed ears, and irises of unnatural color. They had to be careful everywhere, but especially in the South, still a few hundred miles from home. Better to be taken for a sleazy rock musician than to look like a monster.

Aether entered the tiny bathroom near the back of the bus and closed the door. He observed his own ghoulish features in the mirror; a wide, bullish nose, fangs almost too big for his mouth, and a bald head that looked like polished obsidian. He placed his hands on his scalp and took a deep breath. The ancient incantation left his lips in a whisper as he gently ran his hands down face, the dark skin turning a more-reasonable Caucasian color, his features shifting and narrowing, and his muscles shrinking just slightly. His true form wasn't enormous, but using a glamour that is too different from the real thing causes problems. You wouldn't expect a beanpole to be able to pick up two grown men and sling them into a waiting vehicle, would you?

He left the bathroom, picking his way through the ghouls in various states of dressing and glamouring. Once he got past them, it was time for The Rules.

"LISTEN UP! You're going to stand in a nice, quiet line for the restroom! You're going to go in, do your business-that includes wiping, flushing, and washing your hands, _Ember_ -and grab 2 snacks each before getting back on the bus! There will be no vandalizing the restroom! There will be no stealing of toilet roll! There will be no shoplifting _whatsoever_! We're only 350 miles from home, could we please, for the love of all that is unholy, get there without any kind of disaster that involves the police or a hospital?"

Swiss tentatively raised his hand.

"What is it?"

"What about weed?"

Aether sighed. "I'm not clear on the legality of it in this state, but I wouldn't chance it until we cross the California state line. Just to be safe. Last thing we need is you lot being unable to hold a glamour because you're too high. If you wait until we're home, you can spend an entire week crossfaded, for all I care."

Swiss's face lit up. "Sweet!" He held his hand over his shoulder, and Mountain high-fived it. The lanky drummer ghoul grew his own strain at home, much to the chagrin of the Clergy, but at least he and Swiss weren't out buying it and risking a ton of legal trouble for the church.

The bus began to slow as it turned off the highway, and the road became noticeably rougher. The ghouls struggled to keep themselves upright, settling for sitting on the bottom bunks and couches in the front. Just when he thought his teeth were about to rattle right out of his skull, Aether could see what barely passed for a gas station up ahead. Yes, it had fuel pumps and a small convenience store, but it appeared to be surrounded by a field of old, rusted vehicles in various states of decay. It looked like the perfect location for a group of college students on vacation to be brutally murdered.

"As long as there's toilet paper and Doritos, I don't care what it looks like," he overheard one of the ghouls mutter.

* * *

Copia stepped off the bus into the bright desert sun and immediately regretted wearing all black. However, the only other outfit he had that wasn't black was his white on-stage suit, which was even more revealing than the black. He mentally kicked himself for not asking to borrow a t-shirt from the ghouls.

It was like existing in an oven, but at least an oven smells like good food. This smelled like literal shit. Hopefully it was just a farm upwind.

He carefully stretched his back as the ghouls began to file out of the bus, all of them seemingly pleased with the climate. Years ago, he’d asked what the Pit was like, and this was probably as close as you were going to get. Impossibly hot and dry almost everywhere, with no sun in the sky, only more ground. As above, so below and all that.

It wasn't much better inside the store. No air conditioning, a fine layer of dust covering everything in sight. A radio behind the counter was playing some kind of generic country music, the attendant singing along under his breath. He fixed a wary eye on the large group, but seemed to be satisfied once he saw Copia. The cardinal pondered for a moment, then realized he wasn't wearing his jacket. Without a grucifix or face paint, he did look like a run-of-the-mill priest. Hopefully the man behind the counter assumed they were a Catholic church group, and left it at that.

As he perused the aisles, looking for something sweet, Copia couldn't help but feel the man's eyes on him still. He looked up and caught the man's eye, but he quickly looked away and pretended to straighten something out on the counter. Copia resumed his search for muddy buddy Chex mix, until he heard the sound of throat-clearing. "E-excuse me, Father?" 

He tried not to exhale in exasperation as he regarded the man. Morbidly obese and bald, wearing overalls and a white t-shirt, he seemed the epitome of a small Southern town. Probably hadn't ever travelled more than 30 miles from the place he was born. Doomed to live the same sad existence as every other generation of his family. He looked nervous, fidgety. He obviously had something to say or ask, possibly of great importance, if he was having this much trouble spitting it out. "Yes?" Copia asked.

"Well...I don't wanna keep y'all from gettin' back on the road and all...and I don't know nuthin' 'bout Catholic stuff, cuz we was raised in the Pentecost, but...could I show you somethin'? If you could tell me what it is, I'd sure 'preciate it."

Copia had to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop from laughing. His mind instantly went to the type of things you'd see on daytime talk shows: My Husband Ran Away With My Grandma, Now She's Pregnant! Hopefully it didn't involve sexual acts with an animal, whatever it was.

"Yes, of course, my son. Where...is this...thing?"

The man picked up a cordless phone from the counter and made a call. After a moment, he asked whoever was on the other end to come mind the counter for him. An equally squalid-looking, but considerably thinner man emerged from the back and took his place behind the counter. "Follow me," the large man said.

He walked through a door with an exit sign written on cardboard, holding it open for Copia to step through. It led out the back of the building into what could best be described as a labyrinth of vehicles. Copia was reminded of photos of the elephant graveyards in Africa, giant corpses and piles of bones everywhere, except this was rusted steel and rotting tires. The other man weaved through the junkyard with ease, as though it was a path he'd taken many times before, and Copia had to walk quickly to keep up.

There was suddenly a faint rumble in the back of his head. "Where are you going?"

Aether, the eternal scout master.

"I'll call if I need you. Worry about keeping the others in line." The abrupt silence let him know his instructions were understood.

After another minute or so, they finally reached the center of the whole mess. A few ancient recreational vehicles were sitting on trailers or concrete blocks like some post-apocalyptic trailer park, peeling paint and broken glass everywhere. The man approached an RV whose door was secured with a heavy chain and padlock, the rickety metal stairs barely holding his weight. 

"It's in here."

He opened the door and stepped inside; a blast wave of hot, stinking air rushed into Copia's face, almost knocking him backwards. The smell was horrifying, but somehow familiar. He was suddenly very afraid of what he might find inside, but he steadied himself. He had backup nearby; he didn't even need to say a word, and they'd trip over themselves trying to place themselves in harm's way for him.

Copia slowly walked up the steps and into the trailer. The man pointed down to the other end, where the smell and the sound of a television were coming from. 

"You can get closer. It don't bite. Usually. Just don't mess with the Cheetos or turn off the TV."

Keeping those things in mind, Copia tread slowly to the back of the RV, careful not to disturb the ghoul chained to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

At first, Copia was unsure if the ghoul was a child or adult. It was small, not unheard of for ghouls, and a diet of Cheetos and Satan only knows what other junk doesn't promote healthy growth. He watched as it used one of its long claws to poke through a Cheeto, and raised it to its mouth without ever looking away from the flickering TV screen. It chewed absentmindedly, as though it was not actually hungry, but just performing the same repetitive movements out of habit.

He inched closer and inspected the ghoul further. Judging by the features and size of its head and hands, it was definitely female. Her ashy black skin was faded to grey, undoubtedly from a bad diet and lack of exercise. It clung to her bones, the absence of muscle and fat making her look like a stick figure. Her white-blonde hair naturally erupted from her head in a mohawk pattern, cascading over one shoulder and hanging almost to her waist. It was tangled and dirty, almost to the point of dreadlocks. Horns sprouted from two points in her forehead, extending just above the top of her head. She was wearing a very large black t-shirt, the front advertising some kind of local sporting event, and it fit her like a baggy dress.

And she stunk. Bad.

The most obvious feature was the metal slave collar around her neck. A strong chain connected it to a large steel eye bolt imbedded in the floor. There appeared to be enough chain to allow her to get onto the filthy mattress nearby and into what passed for a bathroom. Copia glanced at it from the doorway. Only a toilet, no sink or shower, both having been removed at some point. No wonder she reeked. 

There was no way of knowing if she could speak, and it didn't want to risk reaching out with his mind. If she was startled, who knows how she would react, especially with those long claws.

"Hello," he said quietly.

Her eyes slowly turned from the TV screen towards him, golden-yellow irises with giant black pupils. He immediately thought of a black-eyed Susan, with its bright yellow petals. Her mouth opened into a happy, yet surprised smile, her fangs clearly visible.

"Hi!" She leaned forward, her hands planted on her knees. "Who are you?"

Copia blinked in shock. Not only did she have good speech skills, but...manners? He glanced down, out of habit, and saw the slight outline of breasts through her shirt. He felt a small pang of guilt for looking, but at least it confirmed she was old enough to have completed puberty.

"My name is Copia. What's yours?"

She sat back and turned her gaze to the TV again. "Sunflower. Lucy said my eyes looked like the flowers, but she called me 'Sunny'."

"I see. Who's Lucy?"

She didn't answer at first, and a look of discomfort crossed her face for a moment. "She's gone now," she said with a finality that Copia didn't want to test.

"Do you...like it here?"

She nodded. "I like Cheetos. I like Garfield and Scooby Doo. It's hot, just like home." Before he could think of another question to ask, she fixed him with a silent look that spoke volumes. 

She wasn't going to speak against her captor while he was standing within earshot. Very smart. Her answer didn't really matter anyways, he'd already made up his mind.

He was going to free her and take her away, somehow.

He apologized for interrupting her show, then went back to the front of the RV.

"How did she get here?" 

The large man shifted from one foot to another. "Well...I been takin' care of her since my daddy went into the nursin' home a few years back. He'd been takin' care of her for the better part of a decade, I reckon."

Copia tried his hardest not to appear impatient. "Ok, how did he find her?"

"My uncle worked for the sheriff's department, they got called to evict a lady from her trailer, she weren't payin' her rent. He went in to make sure nobody else was hidin' in there, and he came out with somethin' wrapped in a blanket. Told the other officers it was a pet monkey, and he was takin' it to Animal Control. He never made it, though. My daddy stopped by his house the next mornin', they were gonna go fishin'. He was dead on the kitchen floor, and it was sittin' on the couch in the rec room, eatin' cereal and watchin' TV. It saw Daddy and said, 'Sorry, I got hungry.' He brought it here, chained it up. As long as I keep givin' it food and water, make sure there's power for the TV, and dump out the septic once a week, it's just fine."

That would explain why it smells like excrement outside. "I'm very sorry about your uncle. How did he die?"

"Coroner said it was an aneurysm, he went quick and gentle. Just glad it didn't start eatin' him."

"Her," Copia corrected. "It is a female, it has....female parts."

"But it's not human. That's what I wanted to ask you: what is it?"

"That...is a ghoul. They come from someplace very similar to the description of Hell from the Bible, they are...compatible with humans in many ways. They do like to hunt and eat flesh, but not humans. They can be taught to read and write and speak and perform tasks just like a human, but they obviously look inhuman. I know what you are thinking: they are not demons. They have otherworldly abilities, but they cannot possess or influence people like the creatures in the Scriptures. She's basically harmless, there's no need for the shackles."

"No offense, Father, but those claws and teeth say otherwise. I tried to clean up some stale food off the floor in there, and _she_ snapped at me, like an animal. Also, I don't know how on God's green earth she got here in the first place. Was she born here or somethin'?"

"That's a very good question. Ghouls are summoned, they can't just appear here. There is a book that contains the rituals, but there are very few copies, and they're under lock and key. I can't imagine the potential damage of someone summoning extra-dimensional beings all...willy-nilly. This concerns me greatly, I'll definitely be reporting this to my superiors once I return."

"I'm not gonna be in any trouble, am I?"

Copia shook his head. "Of course not. You've given her food and shelter, such as it is. Most people I'm sure would have shot her on sight. This was very-" Copia almost grimaced. "-Christian thing to do. I must ask, though: have you, or anyone else, um....lay...with her?"

The man's face turned bright red. "Absolutely not, sir! I believe in the sacred covenant of marriage, and I wouldn't engage in...fornication with any woman, especially one that wasn't human. I didn't even realize she had girl parts until you said so. I kept my eyes and hands to myself."

"Of course, of course. My apologies. I merely needed to confirm there was no chance she'd been...violated in any way. Until I receive instructions from my superiors, I need you to continue...taking care of her. Can you do that?"

The man stood up straight, with his hands at his sides. "Yes, sir. It is my Christian duty to care for someone with no place to go."

Copia nodded and looked back at the bedroom. Sunny continued mindlessly watching cartoons and munching on junk food. He wanted to give her some assurance that he'd be back, but he didn't want to tip off the other man. He turned towards the door when her voice rang out.

"The weather man says it's going to rain a lot tonight. They think it's going to flood. You should be careful."

The air around her appeared to shimmer slightly, as though she was giving off a large amount of heat. It rapidly turned an iridescent purple, then vanished almost as quickly. Copia looked at the other man to see if he noticed it, but he didn't react at all. The light show was for Copia alone.

It was even worse than he originally thought. 

Copia nodded to her in acknowledgement, then stepped out of the RV. He waited for the other man to lead him back to the store. 

The ghouls were still milling around the aisles, trying to decide on their snacks. Copia made eye contact with Aether, who was standing next to the counter to pay for all the food. 

"We need to go," he communicated into the ghoul's head. " _Now_."

He continued out the front door, and made a beeline for the bus. He stopped at his bunk to strip off his now-soaked shirt, grabbing a towel on the way to the bathroom. The cold water coming out of the storage tanks was no longer cold, but it was good enough to wash away the sweat. 

The bus began to shake as the ghouls clamored back inside. Copia put on a clean shirt, and pushed past them to speak to the driver. He gave him very exact instructions, to which the driver gave a confused look, but ultimately agreed to carry out. He put the bus in drive, and pulled out of the parking lot, but he didn't go back towards the highway. He turned in the opposite direction.

After a few minutes of loud gulping and chewing, Copia began to hear sounds of confusion. 

"Hey, is this the right way? Aren't we supposed to be going back to the highway?"

He sighed deeply. No time like the present.

"We're not going back to the highway. At least, not yet. We have something to do first."

Even Aether looked confused. "Did something happen back there, boss?"

"Oh, yes. And we have to go back."

The confused grumbling now grew into anxious conversation, ghouls accusing each other of shoplifting or forgetting something or trashing the bathroom.

"QUIET. NOW." Copia was not in the mood for their drama, not tonight.

They finally settled and looked at him expectantly.

"The big man behind the counter, he had something in one of those trailers that he wanted me to see. I...I couldn't believe it myself, but...it was real. And we have to go back and get it."

They exchanged questioning looks and shrugs.

"An unsanctioned ghoul."

The bus erupted in angry shouts and demands:

"Why didn't you say anything before we left?!"

"Why aren't we going back for them now?!"

Copia pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. " **HEY!** "

It immediately went quiet.

"Do you forget where we are? The asshole of America? Did you really think that I could free a ghoul chained to the floor-with a fucking slave collar, too-all by myself? And if I'd asked for your help, do you think that redneck fuck didn't have a gun nearby? Sure, there's more of us than of him, but it wouldn't take much for the other guy to call in some Good Ol' Boys to really fuck us up. Besides, she gave me an in. It's supposed to rain heavily tonight, and they're expecting flooding. Either the men will be too busy worrying about saving the store to notice, or they'll abandon it and leave her to save herself. Either way, that's our chance. We're going to park and wait for it to start raining. Once it's dark, we go back and get her, then continue on to the highway. We'll be across the state line before they know what hit them, and it's not like they're going to call the state police to report a missing ghoul, are they? Especially not one they've kept locked up for well over a decade."

One of the ghoulettes gasped. "Has she been alone all this time? How old is she?"

"Maybe late teens, early twenties at most. She's very small, malnutritioned and dehydrated. Her hair is a tangled mess, she's filthy, and she stinks. I also don't think she's seen another ghoul since she was a kit, so...we have a lot of work ahead of us. If we take her home, we have to make sure she can assimilate into the Ministry with little trouble, or they'll send her back to the Pit. It's bad enough that she was summoned without Clergy approval, but..."

They waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Wait," Aether said. "What element is she?"

Copia studied his fingernails for a moment.

"She's an aether ghoul."

You could cut the sudden silence with a knife. Ghouls of the aetherial element were considered so powerful and dangerous, only one was allowed to be on the earthly plane at a time. They already had one aether ghoul, and he was present. The idea of having another one around, especially in an enclosed space, was terrifying.

"Are...are you sure?"

Copia nodded. "Her eyes are not purple, but her elemental aura is. She showed it to me, possibly by accident, and it was definitely aetherial. She must not have any understanding of her abilities; otherwise, why wouldn't she have teleported away by now? Or disassembled the molecules of the collar and slipped it off?"

"She thinks she's an outsider...an aberration," Aether murmured. "She thinks there are no others like her. She's alone."

"Then we have to get her," Ember piped up from his seat. "If she gets sent back, so be it, but we can't leave her there. Who knows what they've done to her...what they _will_ do to her..."

"The man assured me nobody has touched her, but you're right. It's only a matter of time. 'Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.' Well, we're not good men, and others would claim we're in the service of evil, but we know the right thing to do when we see it. We're going to save our sister, and we're going to take her home. Why don't you all get some rest? I'm sure it's bound to be an...interesting night."

The ghouls muttered in agreement, and took what was left of their snacks back to their bunks. Aether waited until they were settled before saying anything.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Copia plopped down next to him on the bench seat. "I have no idea. I just looked at her and thought, 'What if this was my daughter? Would I want someone to just leave her there, or would I want someone to try and save her?' At least if we take her with us, we can try to figure out who summoned her. If someone has a copy of the ritual and is out there summoning ghouls left and right, we need to know."

Aether gently elbowed him in the side. "You're the last person I ever expected to see experience paternal instinct."

Copia chuckled. "Don't be so quick to call me a humanitarian. Out of habit, I looked at her tits, such as they were. I felt like a dirty old man."

"That's because you _are_ a dirty old man. Your mate is 27 years younger than you. That's your nature, it's not going to change overnight."

The cardinal nodded in agreement. "Do you think this is a mistake?"

"No. She needs help. Let's hope she doesn't destroy all of reality in the process."


	3. Chapter 3

It began to rain just before dinner, and by nightfall the water had reached the bottom of the bus. There was a town not far past the gas station, and they were able to park in a grocery store parking lot while they ate dinner from a fast food place. It was eerily silent, the sound of chewing muted by the rain hitting the roof of the bus. 

Copia had never seen the ghouls so withdrawn. They were anxious and unsure. He didn't peek into their thoughts, but he knew what he'd find: grumblings about his authority and inexperience, fear about the young ghoul's abilities. Thankfully, they kept their opinions to themselves as they ate, and afterwards kept themselves busy and distracted.

The lights in the parking lot began to flicker, then went out completely. 

"I think that's our cue," Copia said. "Let's roll."

The driver turned off all the interior bus lights as they pulled out from the parking lot. The ghouls apprehensively sat on the bench seats, some clutching at each other for support. Aether could feel their eyes on him in the dark, looking to him for comfort and guidance, but he had none. He was just as nervous, maybe more so. He hadn't had contact with any ghouls of his element in years, not since the ghoul that previously held his position in the band was sent back to the Pit. It wasn't forbidden-just strongly ill-advised. Their powers were vast and unpredictable at best, and the less of them on this plane, the better. If they could rescue this ghoul and take her home, he knew the responsibility of teaching her control would fall to him. His shoulders sagged at the thought of more babysitting work, but it was better than letting an untamed ghoul run loose.

Maybe they'd be willing to let him take a vacation once this was over.

* * *

The power stopped working right in the middle of Home Improvement. Mr. Taylor was apologizing to his wife for making her angry again, and everything went dark. The sudden silence made Sunny jump. The dark didn't bother her, she could still see, but she wasn't used to no TV sound. There was nothing but rain falling on the roof. 

She stood up, pushing stray pieces of food and the heavy chain out of her way. It didn't quite reach to the window, but she could still look outside. There was a lot of thunder and lightning, and she hoped the weather was as bad as they said it would be. Getting wet in the rain sounded horrible, but if Copia and whoever was with him came back, she would just have to deal. 

The memory of their meeting was still fresh in her head. When he knelt down in front of her, she noticed the smells first. Dark smells, old smells, like from when she was really little. They weren't from him, but they were on him, like he was close to their source. She tried her hardest to remember where the smells were from, but it was too fuzzy. The memories from before Lucy were all mixed together with things she saw on TV. She hoped they had a TV wherever they were going.

Her mattress didn't squeak like usual when she sat on it, more like a squelch. The bottom of her shirt and her rear end suddenly felt damp. She couldn't reach the wall on the other side, but she could see the lines of water running down it. The roof was leaking.

Things suddenly felt very wrong. It had rained lots of times, and the roof never leaked. She stood up and pulled the chain tight, like she'd done hundreds of times before. Yanking on it usually did nothing, but this time felt different. She gave it a good, hard pull, and the thing sticking out of the floor moved a little. She yanked again, and it moved a little more, the floor around it cracking and splitting. That's when she noticed the other sound. Like a waterfall, but coming from under the trailer.

The flood was here. 

She tried to think of all the times she'd seen floods on TV, and people usually got on top of their houses. That's what they did after that bad storm Katrina; there were people on the news, standing on roofs, waiting to be rescued. She'd get all wet if she stood on the roof, but if the trailer filled up with water, she'd drown. At least outside they could get to her easier. 

She wrapped the chain around her hand a few times, making sure it was stretched really tight, then grabbed on with the other hand. She thought about how badly she wanted to leave, how she wanted to lay in the grass, sleep in a real bed, see Lucy again. A deep growl rumbled through her as she pulled harder than ever before, and the chunk of metal came flying out of the floor. A fountain of water spurted up through the hole she'd made, and she jumped backwards. Nothing prevented her from moving this time, no sudden grip on her neck. She was free, sort of.

The floor under her feet started to feel wobbly, like something was pushing from underneath. The water must be really high, she thought. She made her way to the window and looked out into the dark. Some of the other trailers were gone. There was nothing there but a giant new river. 

The trailer started to rock back and forth, and she was too scared to move. An old memory suddenly popped into her head:

_"Are you a chicken?" Lucy asked playfully._

_"No!" Sunny laughed._

_"Are you suuuuure?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Do you have feathers?"_

_"No!"_

_"Do you have wings?"_

_"No!"_

_"Do you have....a beak?"_

_"No!" She was laughing so hard, she could barely speak._

_"But you're scared, aren't you?"_

_"....yeah...I don't like the water."_

_"It can't hurt you. If your head stays above it, it can't hurt you. You need to drink it, you need it for keeping clean. You just said you're not a chicken, right?"_

_"Yeah, I did."_

_"Then get in the tub. Chickens don't go in the bathtub, little girls do."_

It made her laugh all over again. She wasn't a chicken. She wasn't a little girl anymore, either. 

"Just keep your head above the water. It was easy then, it'll be easy now. Just do it."

The chain dragged behind her as she stepped into the bathroom and climbed onto the toilet. There was an opening for a fan in the ceiling, and it was leaking really bad. Going through it to get on the roof seemed like a better idea than going outside and getting up there. 

She dug her claws around the edge of the plastic cover and ripped it off the ceiling. Water poured down into her face and she almost fell off the toilet, coughing and sputtering. 

"YUCK!"

She wiped her face off with the edge of her shirt, then stepped onto the back of the toilet. The ceiling around the edge of the opening looked really rotten and nasty, like it was about to fall apart. She swiped at it and her claws shredded it, letting in more water. A few more swipes and the hole was big enough to squeeze through. 

Digging her claws into the roof, she managed to pull herself out, instantly soaked in the torrential downpour. She crawled along the roof, using the claws on both hands and feet to keep from falling off. The lights from the store were off, so were the lights in the parking lot. She desperately hoped Copia could find her in the dark.

A low groaning sound erupted from under her, and the trailer started leaning to one side. The water had broken through the windows. It was floating away and falling apart.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Panic started bubbling up inside, and her arms started to shake. The trailer was drifting towards the back of the store, some of the other trailers were already smushed against it as well. If she could climb over them onto the roof of the building, that should be safer.

Water started flowing over her hands and feet as the trailer started sinking. There was no more time, and no room for chickens. She launched herself forward, and to her surprise, right over the other trailers, landing almost perfectly on the store roof. She held still for a few seconds, trying to figure out how that happened, when her own tail whapped her on the side of her head. That's right, she thought. Some mammals use the tail for balance. Definitely not a chicken.

Shielding her eyes from the rain, she walked over to the edge of the roof and looked over. Nothing but water and garbage and debris everywhere. Beyond that, her vision failed. Even if Copia and the others were out there, she had no way to even let them know she was still alive.

That was the last straw. All the feelings inside that she didn't know the words for, made her feel like she was going to turn inside out. She felt like she was going to throw up, and her jaws clenched together, but what came up wasn't sick. It was the loudest sound she'd ever made, a scream that made her ears pulse and her eyes hurt. When she finally ran out of breath, the sound echoed for a few seconds before the rain swallowed it up.

Somewhere in the dark, something screamed back.

* * *

The bus crawled at a snail’s pace with Rain, the resident water ghoul, doing his best to clear the floodwaters in front of them. He rested his hands on the dashboard, murmuring something under his breath, as the waters parted down the center of the road. 

“It just keeps getting deeper,” he called over his shoulder. “At some point, we will have to stop. I have only so much power.”

”That’s fine,” Copia reassured him. “Do what you can and we’ll deal with it when we have to.”

Even with the brights on, and the wipers on their fastest setting, the driver just couldn't see more than a few inches in front of them. Rain kept holding the flood away from the bus, but they just couldn't go any farther.

"Sorry, boss. It's just too dangerous to keep going. What do you want to do?"

Copia sighed heavily. "Someone has to go out there and get her. Who wants to volunteer?"

He couldn't make out the looks on their dark faces in the gloom of the bus's interior, but their glowing eyes gave it away. Nobody wanted to go out in that mess.

Finally, Aether stood up. "I'll go."

"Dude!" Ember exclaimed. "You hate water! And you're supposed to be in charge, not wandering around in a hurricane or whatever."

Aether cocked his head at the smaller ghoul. "Ok, first of all: this is a land-locked state, and they're only called hurricanes if they're over the Atlantic Ocean. We're on the opposite side of the continent. Two: what can any of you do against an aether ghoul? What if you spook her and she disassembles you at the molecular level, turning you into a puddle of goo? I'm responsible for every ghoul on this bus, and if she's on the bus, I'm responsible. Sit down, be quiet, and if something goes wrong, leave without me. Rain, with me."

He nodded to the driver, who opened the door for him. He stepped out into the storm and immediately regretted it. His shirt was instantly soaked, and the rain splattered heavily on his bare scalp. Rain stepped out behind him, his shaggy hair sticking to his face. 

"What's the play, big guy?"

"Can you clear a path for me while keeping the bus from floating away?"

"Yeah, but I can't get too far from the bus. After that, you're on your own."

"Fantastic." He started to walk forward, and the water that was up to his knees moved away, until it just barely cleared the top of his shoes. Good enough.

The two ghouls slowly walked down the road, the headlights of the bus barely illuminating the way. They had only walked a few yards when a piercing shriek hit them like a shockwave. The windows on the bus rattled, it was so intense. 

The ghouls onboard shot to their feet, their pointy ears and tails twitching. "Unholy Father," Ember whispered, clutching his pentagram necklace.

Without missing a beat, Aether took a deep breath and screamed until it felt like his face was going to explode. Once the echo of his voice subsided, he waited for any kind of sign that he'd been heard. 

"There!" Rain shouted, pointing into the distance. A pair of glowing eyes just faintly visible through the downpour, suspended in midair. 

"She must be on the roof of the building!" Aether shouted. "I don't think we can get there on foot. I'll have to jump."

"Can you do that in the dark?" 

Aether turned back to the water ghoul. "Does it look like I have a choice? Go back to the bus, I'll try to get as close as possible when I jump back."

Rain turned and ran, sloshing his way back to the bus. The sound of the air displacing as Aether teleported startled him, and he went sprawling into the water.

"I fucking hate it when he does that..."

* * *

There was a loud cracking sound in the distance, kind of like thunder, but no flash of lightning. Sunny squinted, trying to figure out where the sound came from, when the man appeared on the roof. 

It spooked her, made her yell and fall on her behind. She glared up at the man until he stepped close enough for her to see him. He was very big; not fat, but big. Like he was made of solid rock. He didn't have any hair, and the rain bounced off the top of his head. His skin was dark, just like hers, and his eyes glowed purple in the dark. He even had big horns and pointy teeth.

He held out a clawed hand, and his metal bracelet jingled. "We need to get out of here."

He talked funny. She tilted her head at him. "What are you?"

"A ghoul, same as you."

"Not a monkey? Or a chicken?"

He let out a loud, goofy laugh and slapped his hand on his forehead. She didn't understand why he thought it was funny, it was a serious question.

This guy is weird, she thought.

* * *

Aether had never seen a more sickly ghoul in his life. She was practically drowning in the ratty old t-shirt, her arms and legs rail-thin and pale. Her hair was matted and dirty. She was still wearing the metal collar around her neck. It was even worse than Copia had described. The filth and malnutrition he could handle, but the smell...

It was intoxicating. For a moment, all he could do was just stand there, unable to move. It didn't make sense to him at first. She wasn't in heat; as a matter of fact, her scent revealed she had yet to experience her first heat. Probably due to the poor diet. And besides, his dick wasn't getting hard. If anything, the scent made him almost...homesick. That's what it reminded him of: the dark, pungent smell of the Pit. She'd managed to retain that smell, despite being on this plane for over a decade. That wasn't even the strangest part.

It made him want to nest.

He'd heard about nesting, that it was similar to ghoul piles, but much more...intimate. Basically, a bonding/mating ritual that involves turning your living space into a giant fort of pillows and blankets, where you and the ghoul of your dreams spend an entire heat cycle cuddling and humping your way to domestic bliss. He'd never actually experienced it himself. He often thought it was a joke, like human women turning into their mothers once they reach a certain age. 

This was something that happened to other ghouls. Not him.

A momentarily-stronger deluge of rain on his bare skull finally woke him out of his hormone-induced trance. He offered her his hand, and she looked at him like he was an alien. Has it been so long that she couldn't recognize her own kind?

And why did she think he was a monkey or a chicken? This day had gone far beyond ridiculous, and all he could do was laugh. She looked even more confused, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Once his giggles subsided, he let out a long sigh.

"My name's Aether. What's yours?"

"Sunny."

"Want go to someplace warm and dry and far from here, Sunny?"

He hadn't even finished his sentence, and she was on her feet. 

"Where are we going? Are there more like you-I mean, us?"

Another chuckle erupted from him. Such innocence from a creature born of Hell. For a moment, he pictured her surrounded by giant pillows, engulfed in one of his hoodies. We don't have time for this, he thought, and dug his claws into his palm to banish the image from his mind.

She was about to take a step towards him when a loud, crashing sound behind him made Aether turn. Through the rain, he could barely make out what looked like a wave made of cars and pieces of buildings.

"The dam broke!" she cried. "We need to hold onto something!"

In the blink of an eye, he grabbed her and crushed her against his chest. 

"Hold on to me."

Her little claws hooked into his shoulders through his t-shirt, and they jumped away.

* * *

Copia paced up and down the length of the bus, practically wearing away the carpet. It had been far too long for his liking. He knew Aether could handle himself, but in an unfamiliar place, with an untested ghoul on the loose...there were too many variables that made Copia gnaw at his lips with worry. 

He was passing the ghouls' bunks when he could've sworn he heard a train outside. A loud, rushing sound somewhere in the distance. The ghouls' ears all perked up and began twitching as he tried to look out the window. 

"What in the hell is making all that noise?"

Before anybody could try to answer, the loud crack that accompanied Aether's teleporting boomed outside the front of the bus. He ran through the headlights and onto the bus, carrying the dripping wet ghoul in his arms.

"BACK UP, NOW. A dam broke, this place is going to be underwater in moments."

The driver didn't question him. He immediately put the bus into reverse and floored it, desperately hoping there was no large debris behind them. Rain continued holding the water back as best he could, and they watched out the front window as the road before them was washed away.

After almost a mile, there was an intersection, and the driver was able to get the bus turned around. Now they were moving parallel to the flood instead of against it, and Rain was finally able to take a break. He collapsed against the back of the sofa, his hair still dripping onto the fabric.

Now that they were out of immediate danger, they all turned with curiosity to Aether's charge. She clung to him like a terrified animal, the chain connected to her collar rattling as she shook. He gently tried to extricate her claws from his shirt as he set her down on her feet.

"It's ok, you're perfectly safe now. See?" He nodded over her shoulder at Copia.

Her face broke into a wide smile the moment she saw him. She took a step towards him, then burst into tears as she buried her face in his chest. He gently held her, stroking her wet hair.

"Shh, shh. It's all going to be all right now."

Cumulus, the shorter of the two ghoulettes, stepped closer and stroked the young ghoul's hair. 

"Oh, honey. Just look at you..."

The heavy chain clunked on the floor as they went over a bump. Sunny winced, and a few of the ghouls gasped.

"Ember," Copia called. "Would you...?"

The scrawny ghoul practically leaped out of his seat and grabbed the front of the collar. In a matter of seconds, the metal clasp that held it shut started to glow and stretch. Once it was soft enough, he grabbed the sides of the collar and yanked them apart, tossing the entire mess to the floor. 

A collection of growls and whimpers made their way through the ghouls. Circling her neck was a collection of bruises, some old and some new, along with long-healed scars from the edges of the collar biting into her skin.

"Could we get some towels or something?" Aether asked, hoping to diffuse the situation. There are few things worse than being stuck with a group of pissed-off ghouls hundreds of miles from home.

They immediately went into action, scrambling to their bunks and digging in their bags. There was a flurry of towels and blankets thrown in their direction. Aether peeled his wet shirt off, and a dry one was thrown at him.

Cirrus, the taller ghoulette, decided to take charge in all the clothing-related madness. 

"Ok, why don't we go behind the curtain, get you dried off and into some real clothes? The rest of you, fuck off to the front. She needs privacy." Nobody dared challenge her.

They managed to get Sunny behind the bus curtain, one ghoulette trying to fix her hair while the other dried her off and tried to find some clothes. There were plenty of shirts that fit, but no pants. They were all either too long or too big.

Cirrus poked her head around the curtain. "Is there not a single pair of pants on this bus that'll fit her? She's so skinny and short, nothing will stay up."

Ember pointed towards his bunk. "I've got pajama pants that might work."

Everyone slowly turned and looked at him in surprise. Aether stopped pulling off one of his drenched socks. "You sleep naked."

Ember shrugged. "Maybe I don't want my dick rubbing on my sheets every night? Can't a guy have some variety?"

The ghouls all laughed, easing some of the tension. Copia was still wringing his hands with anxiety, but that was more or less his default state.

Once she was dressed, brushed, and dried, Sunny emerged from the back in Ember's pants and someone's hoodie. She shuffled over to Copia and sat down next to him on the sofa. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"There we go, that's a good girl. You can sleep in my bunk, is that ok?" 

She was already asleep, her mouth hanging slightly open, a tiny bead of drool forming in the corner.

He leaned his head back and sighed. "Well, I guess I know where I'm sleeping tonight. The rest of you might as well get some sleep. We'll probably be home just after breakfast tomorrow."

The ghouls all seemed to yawn in tandem, and slowly walked back to their bunks. Like flipping a light switch, they all fell asleep at once.

Aether sat down on the bench opposite Copia, a towel wrapped around his waist to keep his pants from soaking the seat.

"Why don't you go lay down?" Copia asked. "I know how much teleporting takes out of you. You need your rest."

The ghoul shook his head. "I'm not letting her out of my sight. She's my responsibility now."

He leaned his head against the wall, and instantly fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The bus went over a particularly rough bump, and Aether’s head bounced off the wall where it had been resting, smacking against it before he could wake up completely.

“OW, FUCK!”

His hand flew up to his right temple, checking for any broken skin, when the previous night’s events suddenly flashed in his mind.

The unsanctioned ghoul. She had been sleeping on the bench across from him, but now there was no sign of her.

He struggled to pull himself up to standing, his legs had lost all feeling from sitting on the uncomfortable bench for hours, when a familiar voice piped up in his head. “She’s ok, she’s safe. I put her in my bunk. Poor thing deserves to sleep in a decent bed.”

Before Aether could turn around, something bumped against his arm. Copia held a cup of steaming black coffee in his hand, offering it to the ghoul. He’d changed into a black velour tracksuit, complete with a grucifix embroidered on the left breast.

Copia took a sip from his own cup. “I took the liberty of calling ahead and speaking to Sister Imperator. I informed her of our...guest...and asked her to have medical staff waiting for us when we arrive. I seriously doubt that Sunny has ever seen any kind of doctor, let alone one that understands her biology.”

Aether nodded thoughtfully as he gulped down the bitter coffee. He pictured her sitting alone in that filthy trailer, chained to the floor in squalor, and he clenched his fist.

“Do you think they’ll want to lock her up again, once we get home?”

Copia shook his head. “I don’t think so. Papa III is much more compassionate and understanding than his older brother ever was. Papa II would’ve had her executed on the front steps.”

The bus began to slow in order to take a turn, and both men recognized the landscape. Copia sighed. “Looks like we’re almost home already. Better rally the troops, yes?”

Aether nodded, hoisting himself up from the bench. His knees and back popped loudly. “Fuck, I’m old,” he muttered to himself.

He pulled aside the curtain separating the bunks from the main living area. It seemed that everyone was more or less awake, but had not left their bunks.

“Ok, campers, listen up! We’re not too far from home now. Get up, pack your gear. Glamours are optional, masks are not. Does anybody have a spare that Sunny can borrow until she gets one of her own?”

Cumulus pulled aside her curtain slightly. “I’ve got an extra, I think our heads are about the same size. She can keep it, I don’t mind.”

Aether thanked her as he squeezed down the aisle, until he reached the last bunk. He gently pulled the curtain aside.

Sunny was laying on her side, looking out the tiny window at the road going by.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked softly.

“Yeah. It’s so green here. Where are we?”

“California. Up in the mountains.”

“Where was I?”

“Nevada.”

“Is that a long way?”

He shrugged. “About 350 miles, give or take. You didn’t miss anything on the way here. You needed the sleep.”

She mumbled something he didn’t understand.

“What was that?”

She rolled over and faced him. In the daylight, the unnatural paleness of her skin was even more shocking. Her eyes were sunken, her lips cracked. He wanted so badly to teleport back to that gas station and tear the attendant apart with his teeth.

“Am I in trouble?”

His rage instantly dissolved into tenderness. The look of fear in her eyes was heartbreaking.

“Oh, I don’t think so, darling. You’ve done nothing wrong. The Clergy, the people in charge of our...organization, they’ll just want to know who called you here. We’re not supposed to be on the surface unless someone calls us, summons us. Nobody outside of the church is allowed to summon ghouls, either. It’s all a big mystery right now, but we’ll get it sorted. Ok?”

She nodded, but her attention seemed to be focused on something else. Namely, his nose.

He cracked a smile. “Is there something hanging out of my nose?”

“Yeah, a piece of metal.”

He leaned back on his heels and laughed. “It’s a nose ring, a piercing. It’s supposed to be there.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I guess...for decoration? I dunno, I just like the way it looks.”

“Why?”

Suddenly the implications of bringing this ghoul home began occurring to him. She was going to have to be taught everything.

Aether wondered if he’d bitten off more than he could chew, when the bus drastically slowed. The trills and chitters erupting from the other ghouls indicated that they’d reached the road leading to the Ministry.

He offered his hand to Sunny. “Come on, love. You need to get your face on.”

“I have a face already.”

She slid out of the bunk, still wearing the borrowed clothing, her arms curled up against her chest as the others bumped and squeezed around in each other in the tight space.

Ember emerged from the bathroom next to them, and she let out a shriek. “Who is that?! He wasn’t here last night! How did he get here?!” She clutched at Aether's arm with her claws, using him as a shield.

For a second, Aether thought she had either terrible vision or shitty memory, but both were wrong. Ember had glamoured up while he was in the bathroom. _She had no idea what a glamour was._

“Hey, shh. It’s ok. That’s Ember, he gave you his pants to sleep in last night? It’s the same guy. We use magic to make ourselves look more human, that’s all. Once we’re in the dorms, we stop using them. See, they’re all using them right now.”

Aether gestured to the others, all in their human appearances. Light pinkish flesh replaced ashy black, eyes of varying shades of blue and brown, no claws or fangs or tails.

That seemed to calm her down, and she untangled her claws from his shirt.

"Why did that frighten you so badly?"

She looked up at him sheepishly. "I've seen a lot of scary movies."

Aether sighed. "Alright, that's rule number one: less television for you. Why don't you put on that spare mask, and go sit up front with Copia? You should be able to see the main building out the windows."

He handed her the silver metallic mask and a black balaclava. She looked down at them in confusion. 

"Which one am I supposed to wear?"

He tried not to show his frustration and reminded himself that she was basically a blank slate. Not stupid, just inexperienced. He pulled the collar of her shirt open in the back, tucking her hair inside to cover it. He then took the balaclava and yanked it down over her head, spinning the opening to expose her face, then tucked that into the shirt as well.

"Now you can put the mask on."

She hesitated before sliding the mask down onto her head. Once it was on, she moved her head back and forth quickly, and the heavy mask thudded against her skull. It made her giggle.

Aether could hear the other ghouls snickering as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. 

"Yes, very good, now scoot." He gently pushed her towards the front of the bus on his way to his own bunk. She teetered slightly as she made her way through the curtain.

"Gonna put that in your journal?" Ember waggled his forked tongue at Aether.

"Dark Lord, help me," Aether muttered as he started shoving things into his bag.

* * *

Sunny held her hands out at her sides as she slowly walked to the front of the bus. The mask on her head was heavy, too heavy to use her tail to fix her balance. Once she made it to the table, she grabbed the edge and lowered herself down to the seat. 

There were even more green trees and bushes outside the windows now, they were so tall they were even growing over the road and scraping against the top of the bus. She'd never seen trees like that, except on tv. 

Her mind wandered as the bus slowly crept up the heavily wooded drive. It had been so long since she'd seen this many people, let alone ones that looked like her, she wasn't sure what to think. The big guy - sorry, ghoul - that saved her, he seemed nice but the others looked at him like he was scary. Maybe he's their boss or something? 

"It's very relaxing, yes?"

She jumped a little at the sound of Copia's voice. He sat down next to her, leaning over to look out the same window. 

"One of the things I love most about this place: the solitude. The forests and the river, they keep random people from wandering in, but I feel they also keep us close to one another. It might seem huge to you at first, but trust me, before long you'll wonder how so many people can live so peacefully. When I first came here, I - oh, look! You can see the top of the spire from here!"

He pointed out the front window of the bus at a large black shape in the sky. From where they were, it looked like a big stick on top of a tower. As they got closer, Sunny could see the rest of the tower, attached to a building made of white stone with huge windows. There were other smaller buildings surrounding it, and she swore she saw a glass greenhouse in between some of them.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Copia seemed very excited to be home. He kept quickly jiggling his leg and tapping his foot on the floor. Maybe he had to pee. She was going to ask why he didn't just go on the bus, but he wasn't looking at her.

"They'll be letting us out in front of the main building. There will be a doctor or nurse waiting for you there. We just want to make sure you are ok, ok?"

She nodded, her eyes glued to the front window. They came around a corner, ahead was a giant circle of road in front of a big, white building with black wooden doors. In the middle of the road was a fountain with a black statue on top. It looked very familiar, but she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen it before.

The bus suddenly came to a stop, and Sunny was so busy looking at the statue she didn't stop herself from lurching forward into Copa. He let out an "oof" and then laughed.

"Careful, ghuleh. You don't want to end up having to stay in the hospital wing your first night here."

She froze. That word..."goolay"? She'd been called that before, she was sure of it. Someone with very big hands was holding her...

The screeching of the door opening startled her back to the present. Copia was up and almost halfway down the stairs before she noticed.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

He stopped in his tracks, then looked back. He seemed to be in a big hurry to get out of there.

"Ah...I would, my dear, but I have...a meeting I have to attend. A debriefing, one would say. Aether will accompany you, he understands ghoul biology more than I do. See you at dinner!"

He practically leapt out of the bus and ran up the steps to the door, waving at the women standing on the curb, and then he disappeared into the building.

The women were wearing nun outfits for some reason, with black and white Halloween makeup on their faces. They had a wheelchair with them.

She heard Aether make an annoyed sound behind her.

"Swiss, would you mind taking my bag with you? I'll come get it later. Apparently I'm needed in the infirmary."

"You got it, jack!" the other ghoul exclaimed. He clapped Aether on the shoulder and took the bag, placing it on his own bunk.

Aether stepped past Sunny and walked down the bus steps, then turned and offered his hand. She looked down at it like it was covered in boils. "What's that for?"

"The pavement is hot, and you don't have shoes. You also look like you're going to fall over any second. Let me carry you. Please?"

She fidgeted with the edge of her shirt for a moment before taking his hand and standing up. He was right, she was very shaky and felt like she was going to fall, but he lifted her into his arms like she weighed nothing.

He walked over to the women dressed as nuns and plopped Sunny down in the wheelchair.

"This is Sunny, our guest. Cardinal Copia has ordered me to be present during her examination, in order to report to Papa on the situation. After you, ladies." He gestured towards the door.

The women nodded, one began pushing the chair while the other ran ahead to open one of the massive doors. From outside, the interior looked pitch-black and Sunny was suddenly nervous. She looked back over her shoulder at Aether, who gave her a reassuring smile. The sun shining on his silvery mask made it glow brightly, and she squinted her eyes.

"What's the matter?"

She wrinkled her nose at him.

"You look like a giant hubcap."

* * *

Copia raced down the back halls and passages of the main building, desperately trying to remain unnoticed. The last thing he needed was for someone to spend several minutes welcoming him home and delaying his long-awaited "debriefing". 

He ran up the back stairs, two at a time, emerging just down the hall from his office and quarters. As quietly as he could manage, he fished his key from his pocket and made a dash for the door. In near record time, he unlocked it and slipped inside, quietly closing it and locking it behind him. Looking around, his shoulders dropped, like he was deflating.

There was no sign of Alice. 

She was typically resting this time of day, but the office was empty, as was the sitting room and bedroom beyond it. He slipped his shoes off and dejectedly waddled into the bedroom, his now-raging erection demanding attention. If nothing else, he could just jerk off before she returned from wherever she was. His refractory period was famously short, and he'd be ready to go at a moment's notice.

He unzipped and removed his track suit jacket, followed by his pants and socks. He was about to lay back on the bed when he heard something in the bathroom.

Splashing.

Smiling, he flung himself off the bed and staggered to the door frame.

Alice sat in the partially filled bathtub, her swollen belly protruding out of the water. She seemed bored, like she'd been waiting for longer than she expected.

"Well, well. Look who finally showed up. Late and overdressed, as usual." She smirked and pointedly stared at his dick. He looked down at it, then back up at her.

"I ran all the way from the bus. What else could I have done?"

She leaned against the back of the tub, letting her body float to the surface, her legs dropping open. Copia's face turned bright red, as though he was going to implode.

"You could've stayed here and fucked me senseless every day. Does your audience get you harder than I do?”

He gestured to his painfully-hard cock. “What does it look like to you?”

She licked her lips suggestively. “Second breakfast. Now get your ass in here.”

He didn’t have to be told twice.

* * *

Aether stood patiently on one side of the curtain while the doctor talked softly with Sunny on the other side. Probably very personal, sensitive questions. Best not to eavesdrop, he thought.

The curtain was suddenly yanked aside, and the doctor waved him over. Sunny was sitting on the exam table, holding the balaclava and mask in her hands. One nurse was placing a band-aid in the crook of her arm, while the other was removing an empty bag of fluid from a metal stand next to the table.  
  


“We’re basically done, but I wanted to give you the highlights for Papa. I’ll write up a full report later, but this is what I can tell you for certain: judging by her teeth, she’s in her late teens or early 20’s. It’s hard to determine exactly because she’s obviously suffering from malnutrition and mild dehydration. Like you suspected, she also has yet to have her first heat. Once she starts getting a normal amount of calories per day, she’ll start putting on weight and that issue will resolve itself. The bruising and scarring on her neck doesn’t appear permanent, that should fade away in time. Any other questions?”

Aether put his hand to his chin. “Yes. Uhm...” He pulled the doctor a few paces away, wanting to preserve some semblance of privacy for Sunny.

”Do you know...can you tell if she...” he asked as he tried to nonchalantly point towards her lap.

“Oh! She insists she has not had intercourse or any kind of penetrative act.”

”Lucy always told me I never have to ‘give it up’ if I don’t want to,” she offered. “She said if I didn’t want to be touched, other people had to respect that. If they didn’t, I could bite their fingers off.”

The doctor slapped his knee as he laughed. “And I bet you could, too! You’ve got a great set of choppers there. Make sure you take good care of them. Eat lots of protein, and you’ll be shipshape in no time. The fluids we gave you will tide you over until dinner, just don’t eat too fast. Your body needs time to adjust, ok?”

She nodded obediently and softly hopped down from the table. The headgear went back on, and Aether offered her his arm.

”I feel a lot better now. I think I can walk on my own.”

”Suit yourself,” he said, opening the infirmary door for her.

The hallway outside was strangely full of people, Siblings and ghouls alike. People that suddenly acted like they were very busy doing something other than trying to sneak a look at the unsummoned ghoul.

”I know you people have things you should be doing, get to it!”

The ghouls took off with a start, while the Siblings slowly trudged away, complaining about Aether under their breath.

”Are you their boss?” Sunny whispered.

”Ha ha, no,” Aether chuckled. “I just have a very loud voice, and tend to make people think I’m going to eat them.”

”Are you going to?”

He looked down at her and smirked. “I haven’t decided yet.”

The walk to Papa’s office was long and a bit complicated, but Aether enjoyed seeing Sunny’s reactions to the church. The architecture, the art hanging on the walls, even just the number of people milling about seemed to astonish her. 

“What do all these people do all day? Do they work here?”

Aether nodded his head. “They work here and they live here.”

”But doing what?”

”Cleaning, cooking, financial things, keeping track of paperwork, taking care of the library. All sorts of things.”

”Wow...it must be pretty busy around here all the time.”

He chuckled. “Sometimes, yes. Especially now since we just got back from touring this morning.”

”Touring what?”

”The country. You know, the United States?”

”Doing what?”

She was starting to get on his nerves again. “Playing music and singing.”

”What do you play?”

”Guitar. I also sing.”

She gasped. “Would you sing for me? Not right now, I know, but later?”

He stopped for a moment. Such a simple, innocent request, and it made his stomach flip-flop. His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest, like he was chasing caprini across the black plains of the Pit again.

”Of course I will. A real song, though. Not a commercial jingle.”

She gave him a wide smile. “It’s a deal.”

After another half dozen turns down winding hallways, they finally arrived at Papa’s office. Aether knocked loudly on the solid wood door.

”Come in!” Papa shouted from inside.

The room looked exactly like what you would suspect a Satanic pope’s office would look like. Black stone and candles everywhere, the very picture of decadence. Aether suddenly felt guilty about bringing Sunny here, instead of arranging the meeting elsewhere. This room was the epitome of sumptuousness, and she was barefoot in borrowed clothes, wearing a mask too big for her head. It didn’t seem right. She hadn’t even had a bath, for fuck’s sake.

Papa stood in front of his desk, wearing what they affectionately referred to as the Dead Astaire suit. Black and white silk that was snug in all the right places, paired with white gloves and wingtip shoes. Once again, aesthetics were everything.

”So! This is our guest! Hello, young lady. What it your name?”

”Sunflower...but Lucy always called me ‘Sunny’. Said it was easier for people to remember.”

Papa’s voice faded out as Aether’s mind reeled. Sunflower. Why didn’t she tell him her full name before?

He snapped back to reality when Papa asked her to remove the mask. She turned to Aether with apprehension. 

”Papa is head of the church. If asks you to take off your mask, it’s ok.”

She removed the heavy mask and pulled the balaclava off, twitching her nose. “Sorry, it makes me itchy.”

Papa just chuckled as he took the items and set them on a side table. He stepped closer to her, and she instinctively took a step back.

”Do I frighten you, child?”

”Kinda. I keep hearing this is a church, but it sure doesn’t seem like one.”

Papa put a finger to his lips as he thought. “What do you know about churches? Have you seen one on the television?”

She nodded. “Father Dowling Mysteries. Every week, he and Sister Steve would solve murders. They were Catholic.”

Papa gave her a little smile. “Well, while we may have...borrowed...a few things from the Catholic Church, their god was not one of them. Here, we worship The Old One. Do you know who I mean? He’s the statue out front.”

A name suddenly popped into her head. “The Unholy Father.”

”Yes, that’s right! Your kind has served Him longer than humanity has existed, so this is truly the right place for you. You are among family now, _sì_? Plus, that guy on tv wasn’t really a priest anyway, you know.”

“I know. He was also Mr. Cunningham on Happy Days.”

”Yes!” Papa exclaimed again. “Tell me, which did you prefer: the first theme song or the second?” 

“The first one, but I don’t know the name.”

”Ah! That would be ‘Rock Around the Clock’ by Bill Haley and the Comets! I prefer that one as well. I have a soft spot for the music of that time. Perhaps you could join me in my quarters, I could...play you some records?”

Papa stepped very close to her, gently grasping her chin between his fingers. Her eyes grew wide, and she started to lean backwards to put some distance between them. 

Aether found himself incredibly torn. He had been summoned specifically to serve Papa, but he had been released from his service and still thought of him as a close friend. On the other hand, he already thought of Sunny as his. He had all but publicly claimed her as his chosen mate, and now Papa’s amorous nature was essentially flat-out cockblocking him. There was no way he could make a move to challenge Papa without dire consequences. He had begun to resign himself to losing when a voice called out from the doorway.

”What about a nice walk? It’s a beautiful day, and she’s been cooped up inside for far too long. Doesn’t that sound much better, _Papa_?”

* * *

Sunny yanked her chin out of Papa's grip as she turned to see where the voice had come from.

In the doorway was a fat lady. Well, just her belly was fat. It was so huge, it made her walk like a duck. She smiled at Sunny and waddled towards her.

"Are you having a baby?" Sunny asked, a little too loudly.

The lady giggled, but her voice didn't sound right. "Yes, I am. In a few weeks, hopefully. I'm tired of being so big."

It was a little kid's voice. She looked like a grown-up, but she talked like a little girl. Sunny was very confused.

"Why do you sound like a baby?"

The lady started laughing, and it sounded like someone letting air out of a balloon. Papa and Aether looked embarrassed by the question.

"I can tell you all about it while I show you around. Would you like to see the greenhouse? It's one of my favorite places here."

Sunny remembered the glass building, and decided that sounded like a much better idea than listening to music with a weird guy in gloves and Halloween makeup. Even if he did watch Happy Days.

The lady held out her hand for Sunny to take. "I'm Alice, but everybody just calls me Mouse."

"Is that because of your voice?"

Papa stepped forward. “Actually, it was a nickname my father gave her, years ago. He always called her ‘Topolino’, which means ‘little mouse’. Very fitting, no?”

He smiled at Alice, but she didn’t return it. Instead, she turned her back to him.

”Let’s get going, before it gets too warm outside. I hear it gets pretty hot inside those masks.”

When they reached the door, Papa asked, “Tell me, Topolino...will the Cardinal be joining us for the welcome home celebration tonight, or will he be...’indisposed’?”

Alice looked back at him over her shoulder. She looked annoyed. “He’ll be there.”

They exited the building through a side door, and Sunny couldn’t believe how green the grass was outside. It was like a never-ending carpet but not quite as soft.   
  
“I feel the need to apologize for my uncle,” Alice said, once they were away from the windows. “He doesn’t always have his head on straight, and it makes him do or say things that not everybody is ok with. They don’t tell him ‘no’ because he’s Papa, but you can always refuse him. If he ever tries to make you do something, just ask him who broke his face.”

”Who was it?”

Alice stood proudly. “I did. Of course, that was before I knew he was my uncle. I actually got fired from my job for that, but my father, his older brother, kept me from getting kicked out of the church. It was actually him that gave me my nickname, not my grandfather, but Dante isn't great with details. This is all a secret, by the way. Not many people know about this, so I’m trusting you to not say anything.”

Sunny narrowed her eyes. “Then why are you telling me?”

“Because I know what it’s like to have people look at you weirdly, or to walk into a room and everybody stops talking. They used to feel sorry for me, or got creeped out. Now they’re just afraid I’ll get them in trouble with Vinc-I mean, Cardinal Copia. They don’t want to make the mother of his child angry.”

”You made a baby with him? He’s old.”

Alice laughed so hard, she had to stop walking. She put her hands under her belly as she bent over to catch her breath.   
  


“Oh, man,” she gasped as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I like you. We’re gonna get along just fine.”

* * *

As soon as the women left, Papa and Aether began the long walk to Papa Nihil’s private meeting room. Aether knee he was going to be questioned ten ways from Sunday, but he tried his best not to appear nervous. The Clergy had the absolute right to send Sunny back to the Pit, if they chose to. All he could do was try to convince them that he could handle her.

Thankfully, they weren’t late. Other members were still filing into the room and taking their seats. Papa took his spot near the center of the table, at his father’s right. His older brother, Giovanni, formerly known as Papa Emeritus the Second, sat at their father’s left. He seemed particularly put out by having to attend, despite being retired and not doing much other than reading newspapers and smoking cigars on his private deck.

Sister Imperator, head of church administration, sat down on Papa III’s other side and loudly cleared her throat.

”If we could all be seated, then we can begin, thank you.”

The remaining stragglers quickly took their seats, while Aether took his place standing before the long table.

Imperator put on her reading glasses, and began to read aloud from a small notepad.

”At approximately 2 pm yesterday, Cardinal Copia was made aware of a captive ghoul being held at a gas station in rural northern Nevada. After questioning, he determined that it had not been summon by the Church, nor by any entity affiliated with the Church.   
  


He claims the ghoul is not feral, but is continent, articulate, and literate. In conversation, it was friendly and polite. It had been kept in captivity for at least a decade, possibly longer. It mentioned being cared for by a woman named ‘Lucy’, who was apparently incarcerated and has not been in contact since.   
  


The ghoul is of aetherial nature, which is cause for concern. My initial recommendation was for immediate expulsion, but seeing as how our current aether ghoul has succeeded in maintaining harmony and cohesion amongst his fellows, far more than his predecessor ever had, I am willing to allow him time to assess the ghoul’s abilities. If it is determined to be too dangerous, it will be cast out. If he can teach it to control itself, I see no reason why it could not become a productive member of the congregation. Thoughts?”

A cardinal, whose name escaped Aether, raised a hand. “Where is the ghoul now?”

”Touring the greenhouse with Alice,” Papa offered.

This information seemed to rouse Papa II, as he sat up straight in his chair, his eyebrows raised above the top of his mirrored sunglasses.

”She came to your brother’s office to take her for a walk, Your Eminence,” Aether said calmly. “She seemed intent on taking the ghoul...elsewhere.” The emphasis he put on the last word made it obvious what he meant.

Papa II leaned forward and turned to look down the table at his brother.

”An unsanctioned ghoul with unknown powers is on the grounds for an hour, and you already tried to fuck it? We know you have no shame, but have you lost the capacity for logical thought, as well?”

Papa III sputtered for a moment. “She’s so tiny! And she knows nothing about anything, just what she’s watched on the tv. She’s harmless. And who better to show her the ropes than her Papa, eh?”

A loud gasping noise erupted from the center of the table. Papa Nihil took a long drag off his oxygen mask before setting it on the table. His milky-white eyes searched the space in front of him.

”Aether...come closer, please.”

He did as he was told, stepping up to the edge of the table and kneeling down before the old man.

”You’ve seen the ghoul, talked to her. What do you think?”

Aether bowed his head. He could go on and on for hours about the shade of her irises, or the soft sandpaper of her skin, but that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They wanted to know if there was a chance she could end everything.

He stood and faced the Clergy.   
  


“I have no doubt that I can determine her powers and teach her proper control. They should not be much different than mine. If it becomes apparent that she cannot control them, or if she has abilities that cannot be countered by any currently summoned ghoul, I will recommend immediate expulsion to the Pit.”

Imperator looked amongst the other members. “Is that satisfactory with everyone?” Several sounds of agreements and nodded heads answered her.

”Very well. In the meantime, I will be assigning a few Siblings to investigate and research how the ghoul was summoned in the first place. If this was an accident, I’d like it to stay that way. Meeting adjourned.”

Aether bowed before the table and turned to leave.

”One...last thing,” Papa Nihil wheezed.

”Yes, Your Excellency?”

”This ghoul is your responsibility. If you fail...you go back with her. I would rather not have...any aether ghoul than one that can’t...do as he’s told.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Look at the glass. What do you see?"

Aether and Sunny sat at a table in the empty dining hall, a half-empty glass of water between them. 

"It's clear, it's made of glass, it's got some water in it."

"Ok, good. Now...close your eyes and look at it. From here." He poked her in the forehead, right between her eyes.

She closed her eyes, and after a few seconds, her brow furrowed. "Whoa...what is that?"

"Describe it to me."

"It's like...tiny little sparks...bouncing around each other...and a lot of dark space between them."

"What you're seeing are the atoms of the glass, the building blocks of matter. The dark spots are the spaces between electrons, protons and neutrons inside the atoms. It's really heavy science stuff, but all you need to know is this: normally, the electrons in an atom end up bumping into electrons in other atoms, so one solid object can't pass through another. Something about repulsion and magnetic fields. However, as I'm sure you've noticed, we....are not normal."

He reached down and wrapped his hand around the glass. There was a tiny scraping sound, and his fingers pinched together - through the glass. He relaxed his fingers, and the glass returned to normal.

"If you want to get incredibly stuffy, we force the electrons to move, and the empty spaces are able to pass through each other. Like holding two negative ends of a magnet together. They naturally push against each other, but if you're strong enough, you can make them touch and hold them there. That's what we do, but it looks like magic to everybody else."

She kept staring at the glass. "Can the other elements do this?"

He shook his head. "Just us. It's kinda like teleporting, except much slower. We don't disappear and reappear, we hold the electrons of our atoms in place and move through solid objects at a speed much faster than light. That's also why you never teleport somewhere you can't see. You might get stuck in something."

She nodded absentmindedly. "That sounds bad."

Aether snapped his fingers in front of her. It finally broke her concentration on the glass.

"An exercise I want you to try: get the water out of the glass without tipping it. Think you're up for it?"

Sunny looked up at him, then back at the glass. "Yeah."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Ok, have at."

She put her hands in her lap and leaned down, focused completely on the glass. Her head tilted to one side, then the other. For a moment, Aether thought she was going to start drooling, her mouth was hanging open so far.

Then she started to smile.

She suddenly sat upright, her hands clenched into fists on either side of her face. A giddy squeal erupted from her.

Aether was so busy wondering what the hell she was doing, he didn't notice the contents of the glass dripping off the table and onto the crotch of his pants until they were completely soaked.

Sunny started bouncing up and down in her chair, clapping her hands like it was her birthday party. "I did it! Now you have to change your pants!"

He finally noticed the dampness of his pants, jumping backwards out of his chair and tipping it over. The glass had not moved or been damaged.

It was impossible for him to be angry with her for more than a few seconds. Her face would fall, her eyes would go wide, and he'd melt internally. He couldn't even scold her without smiling.

“Cute. You won’t be laughing when I make your dinner fall through the table.”

* * *

The time with Sunny seemed to fly by. She was a quick study, always asking a million questions, but never complaining. There was never a moment where she said she couldn’t do something, or that it was too difficult. Any time she failed, the answer was always, “I’ll get it next time.”

First order of business was to determine her abilities. Aether went through the Church’s records on aetherial ghouls and their documented powers, and simply asked her to attempt them.

Telepathic communication didn’t work quite as he expected.

”Just concentrate on trying to hear another person’s thoughts, or try to convey your own to them, but in your head.”

She sat down on the couch in the common room. Mountain was trying to watch a show on woodworking, but she kept staring at him, her eyes almost bugging out of her head.

After about 10 minutes of that, he turned off the tv and stomped out of the room. He passed Aether on the way back to his own room. 

“Are you teaching her to be irritating? It’s working.”

Aether found her sitting on the couch, watching reruns of Jeopardy.

”What did you do to Mountain?”

”I tried to telepathically tell him I wanted to watch something else on tv. Does that count?”

Divination and clairvoyance met with similar results.

”Just clear your mind, and try to see, in your head...where is Rain right now?”

Sunny took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

”He is...practicing in the band rehearsal room. He just finished tuning his bass, and he’s about to start on one of the newer songs...”

She was about to name the song when Rain walked past them, eating from a bag of dried seaweed snacks.

”Hey, guys. How’s the psychic stuff going?”

Even teleportation didn’t have exactly the desired outcome, but at that point, Aether was willing to take what he could get.

Sunny didn’t feel comfortable moving so fast between places, so she would create small, contained portals that she could pass through. Sometimes, Aether would catch her halfway between a portal at one end of the hall, and a portal at the other end. She would dance in and out, looking at herself in two places at once. It was very entertaining to her.

“Stop it! Do you want to be split in half? It’s not a game!”

After the first week, Imperator demanded a report. Aether assured her that, while Sunny’s powers of aetherial manipulation where solid, they were limited to teleportation and phasing. Nothing even remotely catastrophic to concern themselves with.

”My other concern is with her assimilation into the social group. Is she getting along with the others?”

Aether told her what she wanted to hear, that everyone was welcoming and supportive, that she was fitting in well and making friends left and right.

These, of course, were lies.

It wasn't entirely her fault. Nobody expected her to understand the complexities of ghoul body language and social cues.

However, letting her have the opportunity to spend time with them was a risk he was unwilling to take. He knew, in his mind, it was wrong, but his heart/dick had other ideas. 

At meal times, if anybody asked her to sit by them, he told them no. Because of what happened at her first dinner.

She'd gone so long without decent food, she loaded up her plate until it was almost overflowing, then ate until she actually threw up. Aether barely had enough time to pick her up by the back of her shirt and carry her out the kitchen door in time for her to get sick next to the dumpster.

"Didn't the doctor tell you to take it slow? You'll think before you try that again, won't you?"

A few ghouls and ghoulettes took it upon themselves to decorate her room so it would feel welcoming and safe, but every time someone knocked on the door and wanted to hang out, Aether was poking his head out of his door, giving them the stinkeye.

"She's not used to being around so many other people at once, you need to give her time to adjust."

When all else failed, he would take her for walks around the property, just the two of them. He showed her the woods, which were off limits to the human members of the congregation. 

"Since we're in the mountains, there's a number of wild animals that will attack humans if they're startled. I've seen mountain lions, wolves. Ember swears he saw a bear once, but he was probably out here smoking weed and was so high he just _thought_ he saw one. Nevertheless, you need to be mindful of your surroundings. Let me show you something."

They walked toward what looked like a clearing, but the sound of rushing water became louder and louder the closer they got.

When they emerged from the tree line, they saw the cause of the sound. A rapid-filled river going over a waterfall, at least 50 feet down, with large, jagged rocks at the bottom. 

"This is why you don't go running through the woods on your own. Go over the edge, and there's no coming back."

”What does that mean?”

”Here, on this plane, if you die, you get sent back to the Pit. Considering that you technically aren’t supposed to be here, the Clergy will not summon you again. You won’t come back here, not ever.”

The idea of banishment made her hair stand on end, literally. Her mohawk stood almost perfectly on end, like a cat’s raised hackles. 

”What happens if you die in the Pit?”

”Oblivion.”

After such a heavy discussion, Sunny asked to go see her favorite part of the church grounds: the gardens. She couldn’t get enough of all the different breeds and colors of flowers.   
  
This time, Aether wanted to show her a part she hadn’t seen yet. Just beyond the vegetable garden, in a relatively secluded spot, was a giant sunflower patch. The stalks were so tall, the flowers themselves reached his shoulders.

He lifted Sunny with one arm and carried her on his hip as they walked into the patch.

”Do you know what these are?”

She smiled so wide, he thought her face would split.

”It’s my flower! It’s me!”

He chuckled at her excitement. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She gasped as though he was about to share some hot gossip. “What is it?”

”These...are my favorite flower.”

Her eyes went wide with surprise. “Wow, that’s so cool! Can I touch them?”

“Of course.”

He leaned closer to the plants, tightening his grip on her waist.

She reached out to touch one of the flowers, the giant blossom dwarfing her hand.

"There's no flowers in the Pit, right?"

Aether chuckled under his breath. "'Course not. There's no sun, so no sunlight to make them grow."

"Do you like it? The sun?"

He thought for a moment, the light heating the mask on his face. "Yeah...I do."

Sunny continued rubbing the petals of the flower between her fingers, as it seemed to be soothing to her. 

As he stood there, holding her up, Aether realized something. She was heavier. There was more give to the flesh on her waist and hips. When she turned to touch another flower, her considerably more-noticeable breasts pressed against him.

His mouth went dry, and he held perfectly still, praying that his body wouldn’t betray him, but it was too late. The sudden feeling of pressure and throbbing in his dick almost took his breath away.

_Unholy Father, not now, please_ , he cursed internally. If he continued holding her, it was only going to get worse, and then what? Tear off their clothes, lay her down in the dirt, and finally take her?

No, absolutely not. At least, not like this, not here. She was nowhere near ready, and the last thing he wanted to do was make her afraid of him. 

Aether set her down somewhat roughly, making an excuse about needing to get back for band practice. Sunny seemed a little disappointed, but she knew practice was not something to be skipped.

Once they got back to the dorms, Sunny excused herself to her room, and proceeded to blast her new favorite song at top volume. Aether has begun deeply regretting ever telling her there was a [song with her name in the title](https://youtu.be/ZHVKlgfiYmU).

He slammed his door behind him and threw himself onto his bed. Out of habit, his hips thrust against the pillows. Despite many sleepless nights, and numerous hours spent rutting uselessly against his bed, he couldn't stop the seemingly futile exercise in obtaining relief. He disgusted himself at the idea of jerking off to thoughts of Sunny, and he was not the type to have a random Sibling or ghoul in his bed every night, so this particular need had simply gone unaddressed for some time.

Groaning, he rolled and stood up, yanking his braces off his shoulders. He retrieved a small towel from his closet, and wiped the beads of sweat off his smooth head. Before he could dispose of it in the hamper, the opening beats of that incredibly annoying song started up again. He jammed half the towel in his mouth to stifle a growl when there was a knock at the door. A very smooth, rhythmic knock. 

Aether opened the door a crack, almost expecting it to be Ember, but he was surprised when Swiss nonchalantly pushed the door open and sauntered in. 

"What's the plan for tonight, pops? Some beers? Some herb? Or maybe something a little more on the...energetic side?" Swiss threw himself down on the bed and posed like Burt Reynolds in Playgirl. His curly black hair was sticking out at weird angles from wearing the mask all day, but it still looked good.

"You've had the stink of celibacy all over you lately; me and some of the others have decided a good, old-fashioned hump-fest is just what the doctor ordered. Haven't had one since before we left for the tour, it's long overdue. You down?"

Aether shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He needed some kind of release, true. And there were enough female ghouls to choose from, he could just fuck a random one, just to get it out of his system. The idea of extremely casual sex made him grimace.

Swiss picked up on his reticence and jumped up. "Come on, brother. You managed to keep us all in line out there, and you've been busting your balls trying to get Sunflower into the fold. I don't think the others have noticed how you feel about her, but I have...I see it, my brother. But you have needs, and the two of you are not anywhere near a thing right now...so what's the harm in taking care of some business? She doesn't have to know. It's not her kind of scene, anyway. What do you say, huh? Get your rocks off, your mind right, and if she starts feeling the same, you won't break her in half the second she gets wet."

Aether jammed his hands into his pockets and pretended to study his feet as he exhaled forcefully. Swiss's words were uncouth, but his reasoning was sound. _She trusts me implicitly_ , Aether thought. _I can't allow myself to hurt her or break that trust because I didn't take responsibility for my own needs._

_What she doesn't know won't hurt._

"All right," he said finally. "Make the arrangements. See if that meeting room on the third floor is reserved, and if not, let's use that."

"The one where the windows are right next to the tree line? Excellent choice, the noise won't bother anybody in the other buildings. Once I get deets settled, I'll give everybody a heads-up."

Swiss hopped off the bed and sashayed out the door, lightly dragging his claws along the wall. "You won't regret this!"

A small, nagging feeling in the back of Aether's mind told him that would be farthest from the truth.

* * *

"What does that one word mean?"

"What word, kiddo?"

"Um.....'fuck'?"

Alice tried her best not to laugh, but it eked out anyway. 

On the occasions where Aether was busy with band practice or other assorted duties related to Copia and the band, Sunny often spent her free time with Alice. Sometimes they would walk around the gardens, or look for books with silly names in the library. Lately, though, they'd been spending more and more time in Copia's quarters, laying in bed and watching tv. Alice's feet were horribly swollen, and her hips were causing her a lot of pain. She was rapidly approaching her due date, and had resigned herself to closely resembling a beached manatee. 

She pushed her fingers against her crotch to prevent any pee leaking out while laughing. "Wh-why do you ask? That sounds totally random."

Sunny twisted a piece of hair around her finger. "I keep hearing the others using it all the time. 'Turn off the fucking light when you leave the room!' 'Ember, what the fuck did you do with my guitar strings?' 'Who fucking farted?' It's usually Rain: Ember always says his name should've been Thunder instead."

Alice could no longer contain herself. She managed to roll off the bed and onto her feet, cackling with laughter as she ran to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you! And yeah, Rain is super gassy. Must be all those seaweed snacks he eats."

Once she had relieved herself and got back into bed, she patted her belly for Sunny to rest her head on. Sunny liked to practice seeing through objects by looking at Alice's fetus through the layers of skin and muscle. She was sworn not to divulge the sex, but she would often tell them if the baby was sucking its thumb or if it was kicking or punching.

"It's an old word, it used to related directly to having sex, but now it's typically used as an intensifier: it makes what you're saying sound much more important or cool or angry or whatever you're going for. You don't have to say it, it doesn't make you cooler or anything. Save it for the times when you want people to know you mean business. That's what I try to do."

Sunny let her head be buffeted around by the baby kicking and sloshing as she thought about it. "I don't think they like me very much."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well...sometimes if I go into the common room to hang out and watch tv with them, they get up and leave. Not all at once, but usually after a few minutes. I try to talk with them at dinner and they laugh at things that I say, things that I don't mean to be funny."

"Ok, give me an example."

Sunny hesitated, as the first thing that came to mind might get her in trouble.

"There was that one time, when Copia said I could borrow that art book that he has in his office? I didn't knock before I came in to get it, and you guys were...busy. I told the others you were exercising, and when I described it to them, they started laughing and wouldn't tell me why it was funny."

She had taken the book off the shelf behind Copia's desk, and as she was leaving, she heard grunting coming from the bedroom. There wasn't much for her to see, but it looked like he was helping Alice stretch her legs out while she was laying in bed. Her ankles were crossed behind his neck, and he was panting and sweating a lot. She quickly scampered out of the room, not wanting to disturb them.

"Oh, sweetie," Alice groaned as she stroked Sunny's hair. "Aether is really dropping the ball with teaching you important things about being a ghoul. We weren't exercising; we were having sex. Hasn't he been teaching you about anatomy and...the birds and the bees, I guess?"

"He told me some people have a penis and a hole, some have two holes; it can go in the ladyhole or the butthole or in the mouth. If it goes in the ladyhole, it can make a baby. If it goes in the butthole, it makes a big mess. If it goes in the mouth, it can make you throw up. One time, when I was in Cumulus's room, there was a rubber stick on the table next to her bed. It was all bumpy and weird-looking. She said it was a toy, but not something for other people to play with, and she put it away. Is that was a penis is supposed to look like?"

Alice took a deep breath. Her body may have been preparing for motherhood, but her mind certainly wasn't ready for The Talk yet.

"There is no 'supposed to'. Everybody is different. And Aether's only half-right. There's ways to prevent babies or messes or throwing up. I think he might be trying to scare you, or at least keep you from asking."

"Why? I thought he was supposed to be teaching me all these things so I don't get sent home."

The more she thought about it, the more Alice started getting upset. "You're right. He's supposed to be responsible for you, and he's obviously failing in some regards. Why aren't you over in the dorms right now? They aren't practicing or anything right now."

Sunny sat up, confused. "He told me they were having a really long practice session tonight, that I should come over here and hang out with you. He even suggested I spend the night. Why would he say that if it isn't true?"

This was the moment Alice had been dreading since Sunny’s first night there. When she and Aether had entered the dining hall, it was quite obvious. He didn’t look at her like an elder ghoul or even an older brother. He looked at Sunny like she was already his mate. 

It was one thing to want Sunny all for himself, but to not make her aware of that fact was just irresponsible.

”Tell me: has there ever been a time where Aether told you something really personal, or showed you something special? Like, just the two of you?”

”Oh yeah, yesterday he took me to see the sunflower patch. He said it was his favorite flower, and he lifted me up so I could touch them, but then he started smelling weird and said we had to go.”

”What do you mean, ‘smelling weird’?”

”I dunno, just weird. Like he had gotten super sweaty, but he wasn’t sweaty. It just smelled like it.”

_Praise Satan for giving ghouls hormones,_ Alice thought.

”Sweetie, that smell means he likes you. Like... _like_ likes you. You know what I mean?”

”Like he wants to make a baby with me?” Sunny’s eyes went wide with terror.

”Not necessarily! He might just want to sit by you or hold your hand or maybe give you a kiss. The body reacts the same way for all of those, it doesn’t have to mean...mating, you know?”

”What do you think I should do?”

Alice sighed deeply. “Personally, I think you need to make him sit down and discuss this. Like grown-ups. Ask him how he feels, and whatever his answer is, just go from there.”

Sunny fidgeted with the buttons on her shirt. “Well...what if he does like me?”

Alice shrugged. “Do you like him?”

The deep pink flush of the ghoul’s cheeks answered that question.

”Then go find him! He’s obviously not at practice, he’s probably in his room, writing in his journals or something. Go find someplace nice and quiet to talk. Once you get it all out in the open, you’ll feel much better, trust me.”

She gave Sunny a big smile and a few pats on the head. 

"And tell Aether he's in trouble with me. For lying."

* * *

Sunny's shoes slapped against the stone floors as she walked quickly back to the ghoul dorms. She kept wiping her hands on her pants, they were all sweaty for some reason. 

She'd talked to Aether a million times, why did she suddenly feel so weird about it?

Then she remembered the dreams she'd had.

He'd held her, kissed her, even put his hand between her legs, and she'd wake up wondering if it was actually a dream, or if he'd snuck into her room during the night. Judging by how he greeted her the mornings after, it was nothing but a dream. She secretly kept hoping one night it wouldn't be, but she couldn't find the right words to tell him that.

_If you want to come into my room tonight and touch my privates, that would be really cool?_ No, thank you.

It was bad enough that her face had turned red when telling Alice that she liked him, but how was she going to manage to get the words out in front of him?

And what if Alice was wrong? 

Her stomach was churning and she could feel sweat dripping down her back. Why did her body have to suddenly get so gross? Like it knew she was going to do something important, and this was the perfect time to start doing icky things.

Once she reached the dorms, she quickly ducked into her room to change clothes and get cooled off. She flapped around in her underwear for a few minutes before putting on a sleeveless black sundress and flip-flops. They weren't really supposed to be seen wearing something other than their uniforms outside the dorms, but the sun was setting and the dark colors always made it easy for them to blend into the shadows.

She closed her door behind her and went across the hall to knock on Aether's door. That's when she noticed something was off.

It was completely silent.

It's never completely silent. Someone is always listening to music, or has the tv in the common room on, or is having a conversation with their door open, or is cooking in the little kitchen thing.

Nobody was there.

A chill rippled up her back and made her hair stand up. It was just way too weird. Maybe they were all on the next floor up? Hanging out in another floor's common room?

She quickly skipped up the stairs leading to the second floor, and opened the door to their hallway. No sound there either. What the heck-fuck-was going on?

Another flight up and she poked her head through the door. This floor had less private rooms and more bigger meeting rooms, so she had to walk a ways to find a door.

Nothing near the first few rooms, but suddenly there was some noise from the backside of the building. It sounded like really heavy guitar music.

She tiptoed towards the noise, and saw a room with the doors closed but light seeping out from underneath. It flickered as people walked in front of it, so she knew there had to be someone in there.

The door was vibrating with the volume of the music, and there were definitely voices coming from inside. She couldn't make out what any of them were saying, but it sounded like a party. There were laughs and grunts and...moans? 

Oh.

What kind of party has people moaning?

Her curiosity was too strong, but she didn't want to just phase through the door, especially without being invited. She tried looking right through the atoms of the door and the walls, but only saw weird purple strings of lights.

Aether's aura. He was using it to block her out.

Now she was getting angry.

She quietly scampered back to the stairwell and stomped on every single step on the way down. The door leading outside slammed against the wall when she opened it, but she didn't care. If they were going to be rude, so was she.

Walking around the outside edge of the building, she figured out where that room was. It was really high up. She thought she might be able to climb the side of the building, but the bricks were rough and hard to grab onto with her claws.

That's when she saw the tree. A giant, old oak with branches that got pretty close to the windows of that room. Time to see if her climbing skills were still intact.

As her claws dug into the bark of the tree, she remembered Lucy's house. How she would jump from one surface to the next, when she was still small. How sometimes Lucy would call her 'Lil Monkey' after finding her hanging upside-down from her tail in the closet. 

_Lil Monkey, what are you doin' in there?_

_Jus hangin' out!_

The memory made her smile, but the thought of never seeing Lucy again made her eyes start watering, so she stopped thinking about it.

She had kicked off the flip-flops in order to use her foot claws, and the tree was scaled in no time. As carefully as a big cat, she climbed along a large branch towards the window. There wasn't much light coming out of it, hopefully that would keep them from noticing that she was spying. She pulled her hair into the back of the dress and shielded her eyes with her hand. The less bright-colored things, the better.

The music blasting through the windows was starting to hurt her ears the closer she got to it. The sounds of the ghouls inside were completely drowned out. Now it was nothing but DOOF DOOF DOOF DOOF. Even the branch was vibrating. 

She finally got close enough to the window to see inside. Her claws dug deep into the branch, and she froze.

Most of the ghouls were naked. She'd never seen so many boobs and butts and...penises...in one place. _Alice was right about one thing_ , she thought. _Everybody really is different._

Her eyes wandered around the room, looking for familiar faces. There were people bouncing on laps, laying on their backs with their legs in the air, tongues and fingers going in and out of holes everywhere. 

This felt wrong. Not the spying part, but the "everybody naked and doing sex things in front of each other" part. She knew the band ghouls were close, but come on. 

That's when the reality of the situation hit her.

They lied about what they were doing. They didn't invite her.

_They don't want me here._

Her face began to pucker and snarl as angry tears pricked her eyes. She didn't ask to be summoned, and hadn't they rescued her? They didn't have to do that, they could've just kept on going and never known she even existed. Why bother saving her if they were-

Aether's voice rang out over the music. He made a noise she'd never heard him make before.

When she finally saw him, her stomach dropped and she thought she might throw up. Alice was wrong. They were both very wrong.

He was naked, on his knees, and there was another naked ghoul in front of him, with her butt bumping against him. He grabbed her waist really hard and held her still, and Sunny could see his penis-ok, dick-disappearing and reappearing as he moved back and forth. His head tipped back and he started moving faster again. 

He was smiling.

_Home_ , she thought. _I want to go home._

She started to crawl backwards along the branch, back towards the trunk of the tree, when she heard a gasp and looked up.

Ember stood at the open windows, a lit cigarette in his mouth. His shirt was open and his pants unzipped, but he'd obviously been partaking in the activities. 

He looked scared for a second, then sad. The cigarette fell from his lip as he said one word.

"Shit."

Sunny was done. She'd seen and heard enough. This was no place for her after all. Not with the ghouls, not in the Ministry, not even on the surface. She didn't even care if she never saw flowers or the sun again. The Pit had to be better than this.

And there was only one way to get there.

Using her tail, she swung under the branch and clawed her way down the underside of it. Once she reached the trunk, she launched off the side and began running on all fours into the forest.

Behind her, she heard someone yell Aether's name and then the sound of breaking glass. Many fast thumping sounds followed.

They were chasing her.

She knew she'd never be able to outrun them on the ground, but they never used their tails like she could. When the opportunity came to grab a low-hanging branch, she took it, swinging herself up into the trees again. Her heavily muscled tail helped to fling her from branch to branch, as she jumped and swung ahead of the others.

A voice from below called out, gasping. 

"Sunny, please stop! Come back! You need to stop!"

She didn't acknowledge whoever it was, but kept on going. Even in the approaching dark, she knew exactly where to go, but so did they. Worried that one of them would try to snatch her from below, she began leaping from treetop to treetop, out of their reach. The sound of their hands and feet hitting the ground began to flank her on either side. 

_They must think I'm stupid_ , she laughed to herself.

She stopped jumping and held completely still as they continued running past her. When she couldn't hear them anymore, she carefully climbed down onto the branches of the tree, and began moving perpendicular to their position. Hopefully they would just retrace their steps after realizing she wasn't in front of them anymore.

They did, until they caught wind of her scent, and then they were right back behind her again. 

The sound of the rapids was getting closer and closer, and she sped up.

_Home_

_Home_

_Home_

_I just want to go home_

She repeated the litany in her head over and over, hoping that if anybody on the other side was listening, they would allow her passage back.

The footfalls behind her began to fade, and the yelling began. Telling her to stop, to come down, come back with them. 

The tree line was ending just ahead of her, and with everything she had left, she launched herself from the last tree. She managed to clear the edge of the cliff, and plummeted straight down, head-first.

Even though it was dark, she closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the rocks before she hit them. Since her eyes were closed, she didn't see the shimmering purple portal opening directly below her. Neither did the ghouls on the cliff edge.

The last thing she heard before it engulfed her was Aether's screams of anguish and rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof.
> 
> So if you want to know what utter, devastating heartbreak followed by a chase through the woods sounds like, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PaUxRORjEc


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Pregnancy/birth stuff

There was nothing.

Sunny expected there to be pain, or at least the feeling of impact, but there was nothing, not even sound.

Then there was water. And the sound of drums.

It shot up her nose and filled her ears before she realized it was neither cold nor deep, as she had expected, and the rocks beneath weren’t sharp.

The water was shallow and warm. Really warm. And the rocks were flat and smooth. 

She put her hands down and pushed herself up to the surface, gasping for air once she emerged.

This was not the river. This was a bathroom. She was in a bathtub.

She grunted loudly in disgust, furiously wiping the water from her eyes, when she heard someone walk into the room.

”What in the actual fuck?”

Sunny looked up to see Alice standing in the doorway, wrapped in a very soft bathrobe, her belly hanging out under the belt. She looked very confused, gesturing wildly at the tub. 

”Wha-how? What the hell? Vin! Stop pacing and come here!”

She opened the door to a small linen closet and began yanking towels off the shelf, then spreading them on the floor to soak up the bath water covering the tile. She carefully made her way to the tub, and held out her hands to Sunny.

”Come on, let’s get you out of there. So much for that relaxing bath. Vincenzo! What the fuck are you doing out there?! Come and help me!” She turned back to Sunny. “I don’t know what is going on, but he just started freaking out and pacing in his office like he’s anticipating a nasty phone call. And why are you here? Did something happen?”

Sunny looked up from under her sodden hair. 

“I just wanted to go home.” She burst into tears; great, heaving sobs wracking her body. 

Alice guided her over to the closet, grabbing more towels and wrapping them around her. She then leaned out the door, yelling something in another language, and the drumming sound suddenly stopped, but only for a moment. It began again, along with a man’s voice yelling back in the same language.

“ _Quale diavolo e 'il tuo prob_ -what the hell?!” Copia stood in their bedroom in a t-shirt and sweatpants, holding a shoe in one hand. He looked confused, angry, and relieved all at once.

”That’s what I just said,” Alice responded. “You were too busy wearing a path in the carpet while your herd of cats were screaming in your head. What is going on?”

He didn’t respond at first. Instead, he slowly walked over to the women and looked closely at Sunny, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was seeing. He lifted a chunk of wet hair out of her face, smoothing it back as best he could.

”The-they said...you jumped off the cliff into the river. They saw you go over the edge. At first, I couldn’t tell what was wrong. It was just a lot of yelling. Mountain was the only one calm enough to explain. I tried to reach Aether, but...” He shook his head. “There is no reaching him right now.”

”Wait a minute. Did you talk to him, like I suggested?” Alice put her hands on Sunny’s shoulders, forcing her to turn her head. “Did he say something? Did he _try_ something?”

Sunny shook her head, water droplets flying everywhere. “I didn’t have a chance to. They were hiding from me.”

Copia and Alice looked at each other, their faces pinching in a knowing look of anger.

”Come sit down, sweetheart. You tell us everything, even the difficult things.” Copia put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the bench at the end of their bed.

Once she sat down, it all just poured out. Aether’s possessiveness, the other ghouls’ avoidance, the isolation, the confusion. The party she was not invited to.

Alice dried and brushed her hair as she spoke, hiding her scowls of anger behind the ghoul's head. Copia resumed pacing, but much more softly. His body language seemed casual, but his tightly-clenched fists spoke otherwise.

When Sunny was finished, he knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his.

”I swear to you, I did not know it was like this. I kept asking them, ‘Is everything going well?’ And the answer was always, ‘Yes, everything is good.’ But that answer always came from Aether. Perhaps, if I’d asked any of the others, it would have been a much different story. I am so, so sorry that he has treated you this way. I can only assume that he’s been acting out of fear, which is no excuse; he should have trusted me to help. That is something he and I will deal with another time. For now, though: what do you want to do? They think you are dead, returned to the Pit. Do you want to go back to the dorms?”

Sunny shook her head. “I don’t know where else I can go, though. I can’t stay with you guys.”

Alice leaned forward. “I think I can arrange something. It’s about time I used my influence around here.”

* * *

Two incredibly terse phone calls later, and the three of them were scurrying through the back passages and hallways to the secluded resident wing. Alice had her elevator key in her hand, ready to open the ancient elevator door the moment they reached it. The halls were blessedly free of people, since it was a warm night and they were all most likely gathering outdoors. 

They had almost reached the corridor that would take them to the elevator, when she noticed a plain, unmarked door. It looked like a random janitor's closet, but something told her to look inside. There were stairs leading up.

"So that's where the stairs are! Sneaky bastards. This leads right up to the third floor, much easier than taking that rust bucket elevator."

The stairs were not lit; they walked along the right-hand side, dragging their hands on the wall to keep their balance. When they reached the top landing, Alice ran face-first into the door, and the others ran into her from behind, like an old Three Stooges bit. 

"For fuck's sake! Let's calm down and get it together _before_ we face my father, ok?"

Sunny nodded her head, before realizing neither of the others could see it.

They stood in the darkness for a few moments, catching their breath before Alice opened the door. 

The third floor hall was dimly lit, but the unmistakable forms of Papas II and III were visible against the opposite wall. They stood flanking the door to what had recently been Alice's rooms, arms crossed and feet tapping impatiently.

Papa II's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening, and he pointedly looked down at his watch. "You are almost 10 minutes late. Did you forget where you lived?"

Alice wanted to respond with a snarky retort, but she saw Copia's head bow out of the corner of her eye, and realized it was pointless. It didn't matter that the other men were practically family to him now; too many years spent rising through the ranks of the church had left him permanently intimidated of his betters. There would be no backup from him, as long as they were in the room. 

"It's not like I can just stealth everywhere in this condition," she said, pointing to her belly. "I also wasn't going to send Sunny over here all by herself. She's upset enough as it is."

The ghoul stood between Copia and Alice, head bowed and hands clasped together. Her wet hair hung over one shoulder and slowly dripped onto the red carpet, leaving a noticeable puddle. Both Papas fixed their eyes on the spot, and Alice could practically hear their teeth grinding.

Apparently fed up with the tension, Papa III sighed dramatically and stepped forward. He put his hand on Copia's shoulder, then nodded towards the elevator. 

"Come, Vincenzo. Your ghouls need you, _sì_? You know what to say; I will back you up."

Copia looked wary, but nodded and followed Papa III down the hall.

Once they were out of earshot, Papa II pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose. "He is not doing so well, your uncle. He worries about his Prime Movers, but he does not want anyone to know. This will give him something else to focus his energy on."

Alice looked down the hall at the retreating figures. "They seemed ok the last time I saw them. What changed?"

"Many things. But you should not trouble yourself with their condition. Come, let us show your...guest...where she will be sleeping."

He turned and unlocked the door, holding it open for the women.

The rooms hadn't been used in a few months, and the furniture was still covered in drop cloths. Papa II quickly snatched them up off a table and a few chairs, bundling them up with the one on the bed, and tossing them into a corner. "Salt will clean these rooms. I trust him not to reveal the current occupant."

Sunny looked around the suite warily. It was undoubtedly the biggest area she ever had to herself before. She turned on the bathroom light and balked at the size of the tub. It looked like a swimming pool.

"In order to not rouse suspicion, my brothers and I will order extra portions of our meals. You will eat what we eat. If you do not want what we are eating, you can starve. You do not leave the rooms unless one of us requests your presence. You do not go out on the balcony. You may open the windows for fresh air, but only after dark. During the day, the curtains remain closed. There is a phone on the table, but you will not use it. Any messages or requests you have will go through Salt. Do you understand these rules?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "Yes. Thank you, Papa."

He grunted. "Do not thank me, thank Alice. She is very adept at manipulating her father into doing anything she asks." He turned to leave, and as he walked by, he very gently laid his hand on Alice's shoulder. Only for a moment, and then he was gone.

Alice chuckled once he'd left the room. "That's about as nice as he gets, so make a mental note. You got to see 'soft' Papa II." She shuffled over to the door, hands resting on her lower back.

"I'm gonna make the slow-ass walk back to our rooms, and maybe get that bath I was supposed to have. I need to get off my feet, they're gonna be bigger than Mountain's if I don't get off them soon." She turned back and opened her arms, waving her hands in a 'bring it in' gesture. Sunny gratefully accepted her embrace, making sure not to squish the enormous belly.

"Everything will be ok. We'll figure this all out, no matter what. You belong here with us...and with him. Ok?"

Sunny nodded, blinking away tears. "Part of me hopes that they feel really bad right now. Is that wrong?"

Alice pulled a soggy piece of soggy piece of hair off Sunny's cheek. "They deserve a kick in the ass. Hopefully Copia put on his Big Boy Pants before he went in there."

* * *

Copia stood in the band ghouls' common room, looking as authoritative and disappointed as he could muster. The ghouls sat on the couches and chairs, looking dejectedly at the floor as he lectured at them.

"You swore to the Clergy that you would assist Aether in acclimating Sunflower to Ministry life and ghoul society. You have disappointed them, and you have disappointed me. Now we have lost a bright, young individual and all her potential is wasted. And for what? Your own amusement? You should be embarrassed."

His voice carried down the hall as he continued to harangue the pensive ghouls, but not into Aether's room. The door was firmly shut and locked from the inside.

Papa III sat in the spare chair beside Aether’s bed, trying to avoid eye contact with the ghoul. Not that it was difficult: Aether sat on his bed, staring at a particular spot on the wall, unmoving. He’d been like that for hours, since they’d managed to walk him back from the edge of the cliff.

Swiss and Mountain had set him down on the bed before going to get him some water, but when they returned he hadn’t moved, not even to remove his shoes. He simply was not there.

Papa sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He knew Aether had a heart far too big for any one person. During his summoning ritual, he accidentally scratched Papa with a claw, then immediately tried to apologize, licking and worrying at his bleeding hand. It was sweet and endearing, but he knew the ghoul’s capacity for empathy would eventually be his downfall.

He leaned forward, crossing his arms over his knees.

“I know you hear me, ghoul. Copia may be your boss now, but you will always listen to your Papa, yeah? I won’t say you fucked up because you loved this ghuleh too hard. Do not blame yourself for that. But you kept her in a cage. Your fear and jealousy kept her from bonding with the others, and now this happens. If you wanted her for yourself, you should have just taken her. Nobody would have challenged it.”

A murmur slipped from the ghoul’s lips.

“What did you say?”

Aether cleared his throat. “Her choice. I wanted her to choose me, not to just give in and let me have her, like some animal. It had to be real.”

“Well, according to Dewdrop-“

“Ember.”

Papa tsked. “He can change his name to whatever he wants, but to me, he will always be Dewdrop. He said when she looked at him through the window, her heart was broken. Crushed. She saw you with some random ghuleh, and decided she’d rather go back to the Pit than have to watch you with another. She *did* choose you, Aether. You were simply too terrified of rejection.”

“I’ll make it right.”

Sighing, Papa leaned back in the chair. “And how do you plan to do that? Even if she wasn’t summoned by us originally, she can’t be summoned twice. The energies would either tear her apart or drive her mad.”

Aether continued to stare at the spot on the wall.

“I’ll think of something.”

* * *

The Saturday after the orgy, Sunny found a note tucked under her plate of cold cuts and cheese she received for lunch.

"Come to my quarters once you have finished eating - Secondo."

When she knocked on his door, he surprised her by pulling the chair across from his desk out for her to sit on. He was actually being somewhat...nice.

"I am sure you are wondering why I asked you here. I have been on the phone most of the day, and have made some disturbing discoveries. I will share what I learned with you, and in return I would ask you not to reveal any of it to Alice. The baby is close now, and I do not want to upset her in any way."

Sunny blinked in confusion. "O...kay..."

Papa leaned back in his chair, his leather-gloved fist clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

"The reason no one knows that Alice is my daughter is because there has been, since before my birth, a practice in place. If any Prime Mover gives birth to a girl child, the babe is immediately removed from the care of her mother and taken away. The fact that they are Emeritus heirs does not matter, all the girls disappear. Over the years, I have heard numerous rumors as to where they have gone. Convents, other locations within the church, given up for adoption...but the truth was even more insidious. I received confirmation today that they were being taken to a place in Switzerland, of all places. They were treated very well...until they reached childbirth age. Then they were used as broodmares. Impregnated repeatedly, forced to carry child after child, in an attempt to create as many male heirs as possible. My own half-sisters...until technology was developed that allowed them to just remove the eggs. They were then fertilized with the seed of many High Clergy members and frozen. 

This news was nothing compared to what I was just told. Half of my brother's Prime Movers were not impregnated by him, but were...implanted with some of these eggs. As a failsafe, to ensure at least some of the children were true Emeritus heirs. I could not believe such deceptive practices were put in place, simply to guarantee the future of our bloodline...and perhaps we deserve what has happened."

Sunny swallowed with great difficulty. "Did something happen to Papa III's babies?"

Papa sat forward, his hands steepled together in front of him. "Dead. All of them. Either in the womb, or shortly after birth. There is something... _wrong_... with my brother's seed...perhaps with all of those in our line. I thought for a long time that maybe we were not meant to procreate. That we were the end of a great dynasty, that we had fallen out of favor with our Lord.

But when I learned that Alice was born safe and healthy...I could not take any chances. I told her mother and 'father' that the truth must remain hidden, or she would be taken from us. When she was old enough to be on her own, I ordered Imperator to hire her in a menial position, so that I could watch over her. She should have been treated like a princess; instead, she had to clean up other people's messes, including mine. So many times, I wanted to snatch the trash from her hands, tell her that she was worth more than that. Deep down, though...I knew she had to be different from us, to be worthy of the Dark Lord's favor. I can only hope it was enough."

Sunny nervously picked at her nail beds. "Wh...why are you telling me this?"

Papa glared at her over the top of his mirrored sunglasses. "She is the only child I will ever have, the only hope of this family continuing beyond my generation. My brother's children are dead, our sisters' eggs wasted in a sick attempt to continue the bloodline. Her unborn child is the future of this church, and there is nothing more important to me than their safety and happiness. Do you understand?"

She nodded, all the blood drained from her face. 

He grunted in response. "Good. Then you will appreciate what I am about to do. Alice loves you dearly, and that is why I have given you the use of her old rooms. She tells me you are lonely and sad, and she asked me to find something for you. It was not easy, but I am _Papa Emeritus il Secondo_. Nothing is impossible when my little mouse asks for it."

A folded piece of paper sat on the desk between them. He unfolded it, then picked up the phone, harshly jabbing his finger on the number pad. "I want you to understand that I am only doing this because it will make Alice happy. Do not mistake this as a favor or a kindness on your behalf."

There was a barely audible click on the phone receiver, followed by a faint voice. Papa introduced himself gruffly, and the voice on the other end began speaking frantically.

”Stop groveling. Put Ms. Hendricks on the phone. Now.”

A sound of shuffling and scrambling, followed by silence. Papa pressed a button, then put the phone back in its cradle.

The phone speaker emitted a strange, hollow sound for almost a minute. Sunny began to think it had disconnected, when the sound of running footsteps came through. They grew louder and louder, until they stopped with a screech. 

There was a clattering as an out-of-breath women picked up the phone.

"This is Lucy Hendricks, how can I help you, Papa?"

Oxygen ceased to exist. Sunny _could not breathe._ She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard Lucy’s voice, and it all came rushing at her. The years spent in that trailer, the weeks since she’d been rescued, the ghouls’ exclusion, and most painfully, Aether’s rejection, violently came to a head. _  
_

A horrible pressure welled up in her chest, and her lips pulled back in a grimace. Her body racked with convulsions as she tried desperately not to cry in front of Papa, but that only made it worse. 

“Papa, are you there?”

An old memory suddenly resurfaced: standing on Lucy’s kitchen table while she made chocolate chip cookies, Lucy handing her chocolate chips to nibble on, giggling at how sweet they were, and how they melted all over her face and claws. It was so happy, yet profoundly bitter at the same time.

It was too much to take, and a painful sob erupted from her. 

“He..hello?”

Another sob, even louder and more pitiful than the first.

”Oh, my god...Sunny? Baby girl, is that you?”

Sunny let out a shuddering breath. “It’s me...I’m ok.”

A shaky sigh through the phone. "Praise Satan that you're safe. The entire time I was in prison, all I could think about was you out there, all on your own. Once I got out, I got into the church's rehabilitation program and started gettin' my life together. The first time I saw a ghoul, I just...I was so glad that there were others like you out there, and I just knew you'd find your way back to them."

The final dam of emotion broke, and Sunny slammed her hands on the desk. "THEY DON'T WANT ME!" Gut-wrenching cries poured out of her body as she swiped at her eyes.

"I wasn't brought here like they were, I don't know all the stuff they know, they wouldn't teach me anything, they hid from me so they could have fun without me, and when I tried to go home, instead of crashing into rocks, I opened a portal and landed in a...in a...a _fucking_ bathtub! They don't want me here, the Ministry doesn't want me here, and I don't know what I'm supposed to _doooooo_!" She put her hands over her face as she blubbered.

“Sunflower. I need you to listen close to me, ok? Fuck ‘em. You didn’t choose to come here, and if they can’t get over that, fuck ‘em all. Do you remember me telling you how you got here?”

“Kind of...something about a fancy car?”

“The fancy car was a part of it. See, a long time ago, my friend Skeeter’s grand-daddy was the type of man that didn’t want to work for anything; he’d just take what he wanted. Either money or something he could sell for money. Anyway, one day he’s walkin’ along and sees this big fat Caddy outside the old Masonic temple. This giant, black car just sittin’ there, nobody in sight. He must’ve figured it belonged to a banker or somethin’, cuz he grabbed a giant briefcase out of it and took off. Probably thought it had money or deeds to property.

Either way, some 40-odd years later, Grand-daddy passes and Skeeter raids his house while everybody else is at the funeral. Goes lookin’ for anything he could hock for drug money. Gets into the attic and finds this old briefcase covered in dust. Inside is a bunch of old books and papers, none of them in English. There’s drawings of demons and other creatures, so he thinks it would be a gas to ‘summon up something’.

We all got together and went out into the desert. Started a bonfire, got good and wasted, then Skeeter brings out the briefcase. He said he got a book from the library to help him say the words correctly, and he starts drawing symbols in the dirt with a stick. Starts reading from one of the books, it sounded like total bullshit, but then the air started like...shimmering. Like when it’s real hot and you can see it coming off the asphalt? Just like that. Then it started changing colors.

I told him to stop, that he was messin’ with somethin’ that he had no business messin’ with. He didn’t listen, and when he finished reading, the shimmery spot turned purple and just...stopped. It looked like someone hung a dirty mirror in midair. There was heat comin’ off it, like an oven.

We just stood there, starin’ at it for a minute, then it started ripplin’. Like waves, from the center. We all backed up and got ready to run. Then the waves parted, and something came flyin’ out. It landed in the brush, and the shimmer disappeared almost instantly. Sounded like a huge crack of thunder when it did.

Whatever landed in the brush was movin’ and makin’ weird chirping noises, like a bird. Nobody wanted to see what it was, except me. Bobby went to his truck for a pipe wrench, like he needed that to defend himself against a tiny creature.

I went over and looked, and there you were, covered in dirt and lookin’ terrified. You were so small, like a new puppy. I picked you up, and at first, you just blinked at me. Then you smiled and chirped at me. The only time I’ve ever experienced love at first sight.

When they took me away, all I could think about was gettin’ back to you, makin’ sure you were safe and taken care of.Papa told me how those assholes kept you locked up...I’ve never wanted so badly to tear someone apart with my bare hands.

But now you’re where you belong. Once I got into the church’s program, and I saw other ghouls, I prayed every night that you’d find your way back to them, that either they’d take care of you or they’d get you home.”

Papa II gently cleared his throat. “There was a report of stolen documents in the late 1950’s. One of our bishops was meeting a realtor, to possibly secure a new property for the church, and he had left certain...sensitive materials unsecured in his car. He was appropriately punished for such lax security. We assumed the documents had been destroyed, but now that we know who last used them, we will begin tracking them down. This cannot happen again.”

Sunny chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“Can you come visit me?”

A small gasp came through the phone.

“Baby girl, I will do my damndest to get up there and visit whenever I can. That decision is up to Papa, though.”

Sunny looked up at Papa, his white eye and bald head shining in the lamp light. For a split second, it almost looked like his expression softened. 

_Almost._

“I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

Someone was pounding on the door.

Sunny practically spilled out of bed, tangled in the sheets and blankets. It was still dark outside, but she didn’t have a clock. It just felt late.

She shuffled to the door, slipping on her mask, and slowly opened it a crack. A young ghoul stood outside, his long hair all messy, looking just as tired as she felt. He was one of Papa II’s ghouls, one that Alice had called her “partner in filth”, back when she was still on the cleaning crew.

“It’s Salt, right?”

“Yeah! Uh...Papa needs you. Right now. You have to come with me.”

“In the middle of the night? What’s so important?”

“Mouse is in labor. There’s something wrong with the baby.”

She barely had any time to put on a pair of jeans and some shoes, and Salt was almost dragging her down the hallway to the elevator. As it descended, she asked, “Is it bad?”

Salt’s eyes darted back and forth, sweat dripping down his face and off the end of his nose. “I don’t know, but...I’ve never seen Papa like this. He doesn’t care about a lot of people, and Mouse is at the top of his list. I worked with her for years, cleaning and shit. I don’t...” His voice faded away, and he shook his head fiercely, like he was trying to get rid of a nasty thought.

They finally reached the ground floor, the ancient elevator making as much noise as possible. Salt had the door open in record time, not bothering to secure it behind them. He grabbed Sunny’s hand and took off running, her shoes loudly slapping the floor as they went.

Mercifully, the halls were empty. No frisky ghouls or gossipy Siblings to point fingers or whisper obnoxiously about them.

The infirmary lobby was also empty.Salt pulled her towards a set of swinging doors that led to a darkened hallway. The hallway finally curved at the end, and there was a bright light ahead. Pacing back and forth outside another set of swinging doors was Papa II, his dress shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow, minus his signature sunglasses. His mismatched eyes were reddened, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

He didn’t seem to register their arrival at first, continuing to pace back and forth, muttering something to himself in Italian. Sunny noticed he was holding something in his hand, a necklace of some kind. It had a small grucifix hanging from it, with a lot of beads. It took her a moment, but then she remembered where she’d seen it before: during church services.

They were prayer beads. He was praying.

Salt stepped forward, placing a hand on Papa’s arm, and the look that met him made him shrink into himself and step back. Papa turned his intense gaze to Sunny, who did her best not to flinch. He stared at her for a moment, before his hand moved in a flash, clamping the bottom half of her face in a vice-like grip.

His voice was calm and measured. “You will go in. You will use your powers. You will save the child.”

When she didn’t immediately answer, he raised his eyebrows and squeezed her face even tighter.

“Ok,” she managed to eek out of her puckered mouth.

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Papa released his hand and stepped aside. Sunny rubbed her jaw with her hand as she approached the doors.

“Sunflower.”

She turned back to look at Papa.

“If either of them dies, I will show you that there are worse things than Hell. Do you understand?”

A rivulet of cold sweat ran down her back. She nodded and pushed through the last set of doors.

* * *

The birthing area didn’t look like any delivery room that Sunny had ever seen on tv. There were several curtained-off areas, one had a big tub, another had a regular bed, one whole corner looked like a giant blanket fort, with all sorts of equipment everywhere.

Alice was in between the fake bedroom and what looked like a regular hospital room, with an oxygen mask over her face. Copia stood next to her, holding one of her hands and trying to sponge sweat off her face with the other. A doctor and two nurses were going back and forth between the end of the hospital bed and a bunch of machines. Things were beeping and printing off paper with squiggly lines on it.

She took a few steps towards them, when the scent of blood hit. Her stomach flip-flopped and her mouth started to water. For a second, she wasn’t sure if she was hungry or sick, but she soldiered on. She had work to do.

The area between Alice’s splayed legs was deep red, swollen and bulging. It looked like she was slowly exploding. Sunny had to forcibly tear her eyes away and focus on her task. She approached the side of the bed, gently calling her friend’s name.

Alice’s head lolled on her shoulders, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to focus. A giant smile spread across her face.

“SUNNY!” she boomed from behind the mask. “I’ve had so many drugs, this childbirth shit is SO EASY.” She tried to raise a hand to gesture at something, but it flopped uselessly on the bed rail.

“She got an epidural, but she’s had a reaction to it. They had to give her something stronger instead,” Copia tried to explain. Alice continued giggling to herself, when one of the machines started beeping loudly.

The doctor went back to looking between Alice’s legs as the beeping continued. “Deep breaths, Alice. Keep taking those deep breaths for me.” A red light started flashing on the beeping machine, and the nurses looked very nervous.

“What’s wrong with the baby?” Sunny finally thought to ask the doctor.

“The cord is either pinched or wrapped around the baby’s neck. Every contraction cuts off the oxygen supply. If you can’t....do your thing, we’ll have to cut her open to save the baby. In the meantime, there may be irreversible brain damage, or it could just suffocate to death. Whatever you need to do, it has to be now.”

Sunny looked at the expectant parents. Alice was still out of her mind, and Copia’s face was white with terror. He simply nodded. “Please.”

She stepped closer to the end of the bed, trying not to focus on all the blood. The scent was overwhelming, and she tried desperately to remember Aether’s instructions on how to focus. Just the mere thought of him broke her fixation on the smell, and she found her focus.

Staring at Alice’s lower belly, which was now bulging with her unborn child, Sunny let the microscopic elements of matter fall away from her vision, leaving only the empty space behind. The layers of skin and muscle faded, until she could see the baby’s compressed skull within its mother.

There was a bluish-gray roped tangled up with the baby, slippery and pulsating. It was pinched in half by the back of the baby’s head, but as she looked closer, she could tell it was also around the neck. The beeping started again, and she could see how the cord, as well as the baby, were being squeezed and strangled.

Without thinking, she slipped her hand between the spaces and grasped the cord between her fingertips. She slipped a finger underneath it, to relieve pressure on the neck.

“Where do I move it?!” she asked frantically. The doctor just stared at her hand, completely engulfed in Alice’s body to the wrist.

One of the nurses shook him by his shoulder. “Back towards the feet! So it doesn’t come out before the head!”

Alice began to moan pitifully. “Vin, it feels really weird now. Why does it feel weird?” Copia held her face so she couldn’t turn and look.

“It’s ok, they’re just trying to get the baby more air. Just breathe, it’s going to be ok.”

Once the contraction stopped, Sunny gently slid the loop of cord back over the baby’s head, freeing the pinched spot, and pulled it back to where the rest was jumbled around the legs. She managed to yank her hand free just as the next contraction started.

Everyone waited in silence as the contraction progressed, but there was no beeping. There was no flashing light. The baby was safe.

The doctor finally snapped out of his reverie. “Ok, Alice. We’ve had a nice break, but on the next contraction, it’s back to pushing, ok?”

Alice mumbled something to the affirmative, and on the next contraction, Copia propped her up while the nurses each held back a leg, and she began to push. The area between her legs started to bulge, and for a brief moment, the top of the baby’s head was visible, before it slid back inside.

Sunny lost all track of time as she watched the tiny creature being slowly forced from its mother’s body. The will to keep going despite the pain and exhaustion seemed unimaginable to her, and she felt a swell of pride for her friend.

Before she even realized it, the top half of the baby was delivered. The doctor gently rotated it, and put a small rubber tool in its nose and mouth, then squeezing it out on a towel. He instructed Alice to push one last time, very gently, and the rest of the baby was out, along with the dastardly cord.

Alice pulled off her oxygen mask and let it fall to the floor. “Is it ok? Did we do it?”

One of the nurses assisted the doctor in rubbing towels all over the baby, who was a purplish-red with white stuff all over it. The other nurse was bringing over a little plastic box on a cart. It had a baby blanket inside and more towels. The doctor then plopped the baby on Alice’s chest, with its face towards her.

“Meet your daughter, Mom and Dad.”

Copia burst into tears at the sight of the baby’s angry red face as she breathed on her own. She tried and failed to raise her head, flopping it down against Alice’s breast. There must have been some instinct, because she started rubbing her face against it, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

One of the nurses helped untie the hospital gown at the shoulder, pulling it down and giving the baby access to what she was looking for. The nurse showed them how to place the nipple in the baby’s mouth for latching, and she figured it out immediately.

Alice was still giggling, but now with joy. “Look at her, Vin. She’s gonna be so chubby!"

In all the excitement, Sunny hadn’t realized that she’d brought her hand up to her face, or that it was covered with blood. She only knew that she was kind of itchy, and that it seemed to be getting warm in the room. They probably turned up the heat so the baby wouldn’t be cold.

She didn’t want to disturb the new parents, and she just felt weird hanging around, so she quietly slipped back through the swinging doors into the hall.

Papa and Salt were sitting down, but they immediately jumped up at the sight of her, Papa glaring expectantly.

“Baby is fine,” she said, her tongue suddenly feeling weird and fuzzy in her mouth. “It’s a girl.”

Papa’s eyes closed and his entire body relaxed. “Ave, Satanas,” he whispered to himself. He walked towards the doors and stopped alongside Sunny, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently.

His way of saying “thank you”.

He continued on into the birthing area, and once the doors closed, Salt finally relaxed, exhaling loudly. “Fuck, am I glad that’s over. If it had gone sideways, he probably would have beaten me to death with his chair. How did you fix - wait, are you ok?”

Sunny was shivering, but she felt like she was boiling inside. Every inch of her skin itched, she was pouring sweat, and the lights were way brighter than they had been a few minutes earlier.

“No, I think I’m sick. I don’t know what’s wrong, I felt fine before I-“ and she looked down at her blood-covered hand. “I got blood on my hand.”

She held it up to Salt, who immediately pinched his nose shut.

“Oh, god, don’t make me smell that! Christ, you know what’s in that? Hormones. Tons of them. If you breathed that in, then Satan help you, cause nothing else will. Well...maybe a few things, but I’m not the guy for that.”

The itching and heat were getting worse by the minute. “I don’t get it, what are you talking about?”

He was silent for a few seconds, mouth gaping in disbelief.

“You’re in heat.”


End file.
